Most Wanted
by Sobriety
Summary: How do you catch the world's most wanted criminal? By hiring the second most wanted to find her, of course. KiGo.
1. Prologue

**AUTHOR:** Sobriety

**DISCLAIMER:** "Kim Possible" and all characters within (c) The Walt Disney Company and its related entities. Kim Possible created by Mark McCorkle & Bob Schooley. All rights reserved.

**SUMMARY:** How do you catch the world's most wanted criminal? By hiring the second most wanted to find her, of course.

**TYPE:** Kim/Shego, Slash

**RATING:** MPAA: PG-13

**NOTES:** Set about a decade after "Graduation", and acknowledging everything from the TV show as canon. The world is definitely more "shades of gray" than in the TV show, and some of the content will be a bit more adult, but this isn't intended to be much darker than the show itself.

Oh, and Kim and Shego don't start the fic already in love. One of my personal preferences is to see their relationship develop in the course of a story, and I'll be doing that here. KiGo may be the destination of this story, but it'll be something of a journey to get there.

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

"Dr Director speaking."

"Word on the In-Terror-Net is you're looking to hire me."

"Shego." The head of Global Justice thumbed a button on the handset. "I suppose it's pointless asking how you got my direct number?"

"As pointless as the trace you just started." The pale green woman agreed. "So why are you so eager to find me, Betty? Apart from the usual, I mean."

Dr Director paused. She'd hoped Shego wouldn't contact her. That the master thief's caution would be greater than her curiosity. She felt dirty even as she opened her mouth to speak.

"The rumors are true. We have a job we'd like to offer you."

"Right. You haven't forgotten I'm a villain, have you? Saving the world ten years ago was a one time only deal."

"I've been authorized to offer you a full amnesty on all current warrants for your arrest. Worldwide."

Shego_laughed_. Dr Director clenched her jaw. This was hard enough already, without the villain's flippancy to make it worse.

"I don't see what's so funny."

"I'm sorry, Betty. I'm sure the thought of offering me an amnesty seems like a big deal to you, but let's face it, there'd be another warrant on me within a few weeks, at the most. Not to mention it's been a year since you lost the only agent you had who might have caught me."

Dr Director scowled, but forced her tone to stay calm.

"I've also been authorized to offer a payment of five hundred million dollars on successful completion of the job."

_That_ caused an intake of breath on the other end of the line.

"Well, now you're talking my language. I'm going to have to know a little more about the job before I commit, though."

"Is this line secure at your end?"

"Doy. You don't get to be the world's most wanted woman without some basic elements of security."

"Second."

"What?"

"_Second_ most wanted."

"Since when?" A flare of anger in the tone, now. According to the Psych Unit's report, that was good, at least from the point of view of getting Shego to sign up.

"Since four days ago. That's what the job offer is about."

Silence, almost long enough that Dr Director thought the call had been ended. Then a soft, throaty chuckle.

"I'm sorry, Director. I just want to clarify. Are you really saying that Global Justice wants to hire _me_ to hunt down ..."

"Kim Possible? Yes. That's _exactly_ what I'm saying."


	2. The Task At Hand

**AUTHOR:** Sobriety

**DISCLAIMER:** "Kim Possible" and all characters within (c) The Walt Disney Company and its related entities. Kim Possible created by Mark McCorkle & Bob Schooley. All rights reserved.

**SUMMARY:** How do you catch the world's most wanted criminal? By hiring the second most wanted to find her, of course.

**TYPE:** Kim/Shego, Slash

**RATING:** MPAA: PG-13

**NOTES:** Set about a decade after "Graduation", and acknowledging everything from the TV show as canon. The world is definitely more "shades of gray" than in the TV show, and some of the content will be a bit more adult, but this isn't intended to be much darker than the show itself.

Oh, and Kim and Shego don't start the fic already in love. One of my personal preferences is to see their relationship develop in the course of a story, and I'll be doing that here. KiGo may be the destination of this story, but it'll be something of a journey to get there.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0002

**Name:** Stoppable, Ronald

**Known Aliases:** Ron Stoppable, The Ronster, The Ron Man, Monkey Master

**Relation to Suspect:** Spouse (divorced)

**Location:** Middleton, CO

**Biography:** Lifelong friend, high school sweetheart and former spouse of the suspect. Undertook more than 120 missions with the suspect during high school and college. Married upon graduation from college. Joined GJ with the suspect, serving 11 months as a field agent and 6 months in the Quartermaster Dept (Catering). Resigned, citing moral objections to GJ policy. Announced separation from the suspect occurred 14 months later, and they were divorced 3 months after that. Immediate cause of marital breakdown believed to be suspect's continued employment with GJ. Returned to Middleton. Currently domiciled with sister Hannah Stoppable (PI Ref 0019) and fiancé Tara King (PI Ref 0020).

**Interrogation:**Subject claims last contact with suspect was shortly after their divorce. Further claims no knowledge of suspect's current location or plans.

**Surveillance:**Full time surveillance undertaken for 2 months. Subject detected surveillance on several occasions, but made no attempt to elude investigators. No indication of contact with the suspect.

**Recommendation:** Minimal risk of contact with suspect. Reduce surveillance to electronic-only on intermittent basis.

* * *

The Caribbean sun was low in the sky, casting the narrow mountain road in a mottled pattern of darkness and deep red light. As was common for the area, it was more track than road, with a surface of bare earth and stone. A pair of oxen moved slowly on the rough surface, dragging a large steel cage set atop a simple pair of wooden axles. Each rut or pothole caused the ungainly contraption to lurch dangerously back and forth. Despite the seemingly imminent risk of toppling over the mountain's edge, there were no cries from the four ragged figures within the cage. They merely lay, unconscious or uncaring, in the filthy straw of the cage.

Fore and aft of the cage were a pair of aged jeeps, their once-military green paint long faded to the color of dirt. Four men rode in each jeep; ragged and unshaven, they were distinguished from their prisoners only by their freedom and their weapons. Limited to the speed of the ox cart, the two vehicles crawled toward the valley below, their engines in neutral and their breaks complaining at the constant use. Despite the altitude, the air was sticky with heat rising from the sun-baked stone around them, and several of the men were dozing, battered caps pulled low over their faces.

Across the valley, nimble fingers adjusted the lens of a stolen GJ telescopic viewer. The picture jumped into clarity, then was suddenly blocked by a wagging pink tail.

The most wanted criminal in the world raised her eyes to peer over the top of the viewer.

"Rojo!" she hissed, "Your naked rump is in my way!"

Despite the firm words, Kim Possible's eyes looked on her tiny companion with affection. The small pink animal skittered up her arm and brought his face close to her own. He was wearing the blue mask with the flames on it today, Kim noticed. She wasn't sure how many masks Rojo had, but there seemed to be dozens.

"Just my luck to get the only mole rat in the world who thinks he's a luchadore." She muttered to herself as Rojo tapped her noise with his paw and gesticulated wildly. "I know they're down there, Rojo. I'm just scoping the sitch before we go rescue them. _So_ not the drama."

Rojo facepalmed, then gestured again, this time clearly pointing at the sky.

"Arriba! Arriba!"

"Okay, no need to go all Speedy Gonzalez on me ..." Kim trailed off. Her Spanish was still patchy, but she recognized that word. "There's something above us?"

"Si. Si."

Kim rolled carefully on her side, twisting so that she could get a view of the sky without coming out from under the GJ camo-cape under which she sheltered. The dun and green fabric didn't just keep off rain, sun and unfriendly eyes, it would block motion sensors and infrared scanners ... as long as she stayed beneath it.

There. A small black speck, almost lost in the mountains' shadowy peaks. Kim focused the lenses. A helicopter, in drab military covers, flitted back and forth in the semi-darkness. The one-time teen hero lowered the viewer and stared at her accomplice.

"No_way_ you spotted that." She accused.

Rojo shrugged and tapped his ears; along with his eyes and mouth, they were the only parts of his head not covered by the mask.

"You_heard_ it? Okay, I guess that does make sense. Rufus used to be able to hear a nacho snap within a three mile radius ..." Kim broke off the sentence, remembering the first naked mole rat in her life, and the sandy-haired boy who'd owned him. Rojo stared at her quizzically, and she pulled herself together with a slight wriggle of her shoulders. "Sorry, boy. Old memories. A chopper on overflight. Guess that means Harker's not too happy about our last couple of ops."

"Avance?" Rojo gestured upwards again and spread his paws questioningly.

"Yeah, we're still going ahead. The helicopter will make things a little more interesting, that's all. Those people still need my ... our help."

"Bueno." Rojo gave her a thumbs up.

Kim pressed the retractor button on her camo-cape and surged to her feet in one lithe motion. If the soldiers in the helicopter had IR sensors, they would spot her within seconds. But now that she was ready to move, seconds would be far too late.

"Flight mode." She sub-vocalized. A tiny sensor in her collar picked up the vibrations and transmitted them to her mission gear. The days of cargo pants and lipstick lasers were long gone. Instead Kim wore a body suit of dark blue Kevlar weave. Thin strips of silver ran the length of her arms and legs, ending in metallic cuffs at her wrists and ankles. The suit covered her from her toes to her neck: only her face and hands were bare. She felt no need to disguise who she was, after all. Atop her head she wore a dark blue helmet, emblazoned on each side with a silver lightning bolt. Locks of her famous red curled out of the edges of the helm, though most of it remained tucked up inside. Her ensemble was completed by a metal utility belt, housing more than a dozen high tech gadgets, and a metallic pack on her back. There was a faint hydraulic hiss from the pack and a pair of silvery wings snapped out of the sides, then a soft whine began as the jetpack motors kicked in.

Kim released a deep breath, lightly touching the hairdryer-grapple gun that hung from her side. It was the only relic of her high school career, and while it had been months since she used it in action, she felt it was like her lucky charm.

"Ready, Rojo?"

"Siempre!" he popped his head out of the largest pocket in her belt and gave her a thumbs up.

Kim was over a hundred feet in the air before the helicopter suddenly changed direction. On the road below, she saw the jeeps slide to a stop and the disorganized soldiers spill out. There'd be bullets heading her way any moment. Time to postpone that problem so she could have a free hand with the chopper.

She flicked open one of the pouches on her utility belt and darted a hand inside. Three tiny metal eggs lay inside. Kim closed her fingers around the first and sent it hurtling downwards with a quick snap of her wrist. Ten feet above the ground, the egg burst, releasing a thick cloud of yellowish smoke. Kim swooped low over the smoke, seeing the dim shapes of soldiers staggering and coughing within. Even a few feet from the cloud, she could smell the acidic reek of sulphur.

"Relax boys, it'll make you cough and cry a lot but it won't really harm you." She called brightly, "And you're all bad eggs so it's only fair you smell like them for a while."

"Oy." Rojo facepalmed in his pocket.

"Hey, I'm not going to use my best material on guys who probably don't even speak English!" Kim protested as she barrel-rolled and soared up toward the helicopter.

"Combat mode." She sub-vocalized. Instantly, the metal bands at her wrists and ankles began to grow, encasing both her feet and her fists in a layer of protective metal.

The chopper pilot slewed his machine to the right, trying to present the side of his craft; and thus the side mounted machine-gun; toward Kim, but he could not match the aerial agility of the young woman's jetpack. Kim swooped around the craft, never presenting a target to the frustrated gunner within, until she was in front and just to the right of the chopper. As she expected, the pilot kept trying to drag his machine around to the right. Now! Kim flared the jet pack's engines, sending herself hurting toward the helicopter cockpit, one armor-plated fist outstretched.

The cockpit canopy shattered under the sudden impact, showering glass across the startled pilot. Kim's first followed the glass, striking him on the temple, though she pulled the blow at the last moment. Picture perfect, if she did say so herself: the man went out light a light, but without a single bone being broken. He'd have a headache, nothing worse.

"Rojo! Bring this thing down!"

"Si!" the masked mole rat leapt from Kim's belt to the pilot's stick, his tiny frame bunching with muscles as he grappled with controls that were larger than he was. Kim didn't spare the strange sight so much as a glance: she kicked through the cockpit door and plunged into the main body of the craft, feet and fists whirling.

Thirty seconds later, the helicopter landed on the mountain road, a short distance down the incline from the front jeep. Still coughing and rubbing their eyes, the eight gassed and confused soldiers warily moved toward the vehicle. The eldest of them, wiping his eyes on his sleeve, called out.

"Ramon? Está bien usted?"

There was a moment of silence, then a strangely timbered voice replied from within the craft.

"Si! Uh ..." the voice drifted off for a moment, "Uh, salgo!"

The eight men exchanged looks. The leader jerked his head to one side and they began to fan out, raising their weapons carefully to cover the helicopter hatch.

A body came flying out. There was instant chaos: one of them men staggered backward in surprise, inadvertently firing into the air. Two others were knocked from their feet as an unconscious member of the chopper crew slammed into them. The others gaped, staring at the three sprawled figures.

And that was when _Kim_ came flying out.

Less than a minute later, she was the only one still standing. She paused a moment, hands on hips, drawing in deep breaths, then ended combat mode. After the metal boots and gloves had retracted, she touched a finger to her neck.

"Phew. Pulse is way up. Must be getting old. Dealing with a few of Drakken's goons never wore me out like this. Well, assuming Shego wasn't around." Kim turned to the ox cart, which stood unmoving, its peasant driver looking at her like she had three heads.

"It's okay. I'm not here to hurt you." She showed him her empty hands. "I've just come to free these people. I'm a friend! Uh ... soy un amigo!"

"Usted es el ángel azul!"

"What? No, I'm not an angel. At least I think that's what you said. Not an angel. I'm just a friend ... un amigo."

"He says you are the blue angel." Another voice cut in, and Kim glanced up to see the dirt and tear-stained face of a young woman peering out at her through the bars of the cage. "All the mountains are filled with talk of you."

"You speak English?" Kim bit her lip as soon as she asked the question. "Uh, don't answer that ... obviously you do."

The young woman smiled briefly.

"I think you are right. You cannot be an angel. An angel would not ask –"

"Such a stupid question?"

"I would have said 'obvious'." The woman smiled again, though it faded as quickly as before. "So you cannot be an angel. But you must be a hero, to have risked your life to save us from General Harker's prisons."

Ten years earlier, Kim would have waved her hand airily and offered a casual "No big." A decade of experience had left her a little wiser. What she did was big for the people she helped. Some days, knowing that was what kept her going.

"Thanks. I do what I can."

"After seeing you, I think you can do anything."

"... I used to think that too."

* * *

The young woman at the desk was a perky blonde with a friendly smile. Betty Director hated her immediately.

"Welcome to HenchCo! How can I help you?"

"I'm Dr Director. This is Senior Agent Will Du. We're here for a 1pm meeting with Shego."

"Ah yes, Mr Hench and Ms Shego are waiting for you in room two nineteen. I'll have Roger show you the way." The young woman buzzed for a security guard. "If you could just sign in on the guest register ... thank you. Oh, and Mr Hench has suggested that the meeting would proceed more smoothly without weapons being present ..."

Dr Director placed a hand protectively over her sidearm.

"Unless he's cut off Shego's hands, I'm not sure how he intends for that to happen."

The blonde's smile dimmed a little.

"Mr Hench did say that you might not feel comfortable with that. He also said that he couldn't be sure how Ms Shego would react to your being armed."

"Well, he's going to find out. Shego and Hench have made me jump through enough hoops to set up this meeting already. I won't jump through any more." Dr Director snapped, her single eye narrowing. She almost hoped Shego _would_ use it as an excuse to break off negotiations. Even if she didn't agree with what Kim was doing, her skin crawled a little at what Global Justice was being forced to do to stop her.

"Ah, Roger." The blonde welcomed the HenchCo security guard who had just arrived. "Please escort the Global Justice agents to room two one nine."

The burly man nodded in response, gave Will and Dr Director a surly glance, then turned on his heel and set off down a corridor.

"Friendly bunch." Dr Director gritted to herself as she followed in his wake.

Room two nineteen proved to be a spacious meeting area containing a long mahogany table surrounded by comfortable leather chairs. A state of the art web conferencing facility occupied the center of the table, with a projection screen set up on one wall.

Shego sat sideways across one of the chairs, legs hooked over the armrest, flicking through the pages of the latest issue of _Villains Digest_. Whereas Dr Director and Will wore their dress uniforms, the villainess had stuck with her infamous black and green catsuit.

"Betty!" she smiled welcomingly as the two Global Justice employees entered the room. "And ... lackey."

"Special Agent Will Du." He introduced himself

"Don't care." Shego told him. "Shut up and let the big kids sort this out." She swung her legs down and threw the magazine over her shoulder. "Betty, I'm sure you know Mr Hench, whose been so kind to arrange a neutral meeting place for us to ... negotiate."

"Dr Director." Jack Hench offered his hand. Betty ignored it, but Hench simply shrugged it off. He gestured to a stern-faced woman on his left. "This is my company counsel, Ms Trial. Shego asked for her to be present today to ensure that we cross all our legal tees and dot all our legal eyes."

Dr Director scowled at the smirking green woman.

"All of a sudden you're concerned about legality?"

"Didn't you hear, Doc? I'm one of the good guys now."

"You had your chance for that ten years ago. This ... is just a temporary arrangement."

Shego shrugged.

"So why don't we get down to the particulars of our ... 'temporary arrangement'? Put your offer on the table, Betty."

"The Governing Council of Global Justice has ordered me to make the following offer." Dr Director said formally, "All law enforcement agencies worldwide will cease any and all attempts to apprehend you, Shego, and all of your immediate accomplices, for a period of three months. By the end of those three months, you will deliver Kim Possible to Global Justice, dead or alive."

Shego's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not an assassin."

Will Du snorted.

"No, just a thief."

"I'm very far from _just_ a thief. And Betty, if you can't keep your lackey quiet, _I'll_ do it."

"Will, please remain silent unless asked a direct question." Dr Director held up a hand to forestall any response from her agent. "You have your orders, Agent Du. As do I."

"Fine. So I find Kim, capture her, and hand her over to you. _Alive_." Shego folded her arms. "What do I get out of it?"

"Upon receipt by Global Justice of either Kim Possible, her corpse, or some other absolute proof of her death, you will receive the following rewards." Dr Director gritted out, "One; the sum of five hundred million US dollars, paid into an account or accounts of your choice. Two; a full pardon for any crimes committed prior to the completion of your task. Three; an additional seventy two hour moratorium on any and all attempts to apprehend you."

"An escape window? How sweet. I didn't know you cared." Shego quirked an eyebrow. "Okay. Here are my conditions. The five hundred million is to be paid upfront -"

"Out of the question."

"- into a HenchCo Trust Account. It'll be held there for three months, then either returned to GJ in the unlikely event I fail, or paid to me by HenchCo. I don't fancy having you know about any of my accounts, Betty."

Dr Director ground her teeth. "Agreed."

"Next thing: I want full access to all GJ files on Kim Possible."

"Those are classified."

"So declassify them. I need to know what you've been trying over the past twelve months so I don't waste my time repeating your mistakes." Shego was clearly relishing the chance to twist the knife.

"Agreed." Dr Director ignored the shocked look she received from Will Du. He hadn't been privy to the briefing she'd had. Betty had already fought the Governing Council over all these concessions. Fought and lost, just as she'd fought and lost when the idea of hiring Shego was first mooted. "Agent Du has all the information on file. We'll provide you with a copy."

Shego leaned back in here chair with an amused smirk.

"You hate this, don't you Betty?"

"I'm playing nice with two people who should have been behind bars years ago. What's to like?" Dr Director swept her gaze over both the green woman and Jack Hench, who affected to look wounded by her words.

"I'm simply an honest businessman." He insisted, with a smirk nearly as wide as Shego's.

"You're simply very good at finding ways to do immoral things without strictly breaking the law."

"Whereas Kimmie is good at finding ways to do moral things, and the law be damned?" Shego smiled sweetly as Betty flinched. "Your objection to this goes deeper than that, doesn't it? You made mention of being 'under orders' several times. I'm guessing there's a reason you keep reminded us all about that."

Dr Director clenched her jaw and sat mutely. If anything, Shego's smile grew wider.

"Sorry Betty, but answering my questions honestly is a condition for my taking the job. If you can't do that, I walk. So ... what are your_personal_ opinions about Kimmie?"

When Dr Director didn't answer immediately, Shego made as if to leave.

"Wait." Betty held up a hand. "Are there going to be more of these questions?"

"A couple."

"I'll answer them. But only off the record ... and without an audience."

Shego returned to her seat and glanced at Hench.

"Jack, would you be a dear and take Ms Trial and the lackey out of the room? Oh, and if you could send up a chocolate milk and some of those delicious cookies, that'd be swell ... you want anything, Betty?"

"No, thank you."

"So polite. Couldn't you just take her home to mother?" Shego smirked.

Jack Hench, Ms Trial and Will Du; the last only after a complaining look to his superior; exited the room. Shego immediately kicked back her chair and plonked her boots on the table.

"That's better." She stretched, cat-like. "Jack's a good guy but he's very precious about the mahogany. So Betty: time to fess up. What's your personal opinion of all this? You can't really think Kimmie deserves to be the world's most wanted criminal"

"I ... I sympathize with her motives." Betty laced her fingers in her lap, glanced down at them, then up at Shego. "I know she just wants to help people. But the way she's doing it ... the Governing Council cannot tolerate it. She's undermining everything Global Justice has achieved."

"I thought it was your mandate to help people? Isn't that what she's doing?"

"Global Justice's mandate is to protect international law, under the auspices of the UN Security Council. We have to take a ... big picture view."

"And Kimmie's too worried about the little people?"

"In the final analysis, yes." Dr Director lifted her head and stared Shego in the eye. "Sometimes we have to make compromises ... sacrifices ... for the greater good."

"Sacrifices like hiring me?"

"Usually not quite that distasteful." Betty's rejoinder provoked a smirk from Shego. "But it is the hardest part of the job. Ultimately, Global Justice has to answer to the governments which fund us. If they tell us we can't interfere, we have to listen. We have to make allowances."

"So ... overlook a human rights abuse or two if it means capturing a notorious terrorist, that kind of thing?" Shego gave a bitter laugh. "Why in hell did you hire Possible? There's no way she would go for that. Not Little Miss Perfect."

Dr Director shrugged uncomfortably.

"When Ms Possible and her then-fiancé initially joined Global Justice, we did psychological evaluations on them both." She admitted. "The results indicated that Mr Stoppable's decision-making process was highly emotion-based, rather than reason-based, so would most likely quit within three months, due to this very issue. Ms Possible's profile was much more balanced. As long as Mr Stoppable remained, she could be swayed with logical arguments."

"The greater good, right?"

"Right."

"Also known as 'the ends justify the means'."

Dr Director ignored this.

"The psych evaluation also indicated that the longer Mr Stoppable stayed, the less likely it would become that Kim would leave with him."

Shego drew in a breath.

"So you did everything you could to keep the buffoon?"

Dr Director narrowed her eyes.

"Let's be clear, Shego. Mr Stoppable was of vital assistance in saving the world from alien invasion. He was also a competent agent who served admirably in the field for nearly a year."

"Because you made sure he always got the black and white cases, right? No moral gray areas to worry his pointy little head about."

"As much as we could, yes. And when that was no longer enough, we persuaded him to take a rear echelon position where he would not be confronted with such issues. That only lasted another six months or so, but it achieved the main objective."

"Keeping Kimmie."

"Retaining Ms Possible, yes."

"But Kimmie did eventually leave. So what went wrong?"

"You must understand, Shego. I always expected Ms Possible to resign. Either to have a family, or ..."

"Because she couldn't keep telling herself 'it was for the greater good' and believe it, any more?"

"... because she was unable to keep making the necessary sacrifices. You know how Ms Possible is ... or was. She truly believed she could achieve anything. She needed perfection. And Global Justice couldn't give her that."

"And knowing all this, you still hired her?"

"We thought she would simply resign, Shego." Dr Director leaned back in her chair and closed her eye. "We thought we would get the best agent we'd ever seen ... whether it was for a few years or even just a few months, it would be worth it. We never imagined she would do what she has."

"Man, all that psychological analysis and you didn't see this coming? You need to fire your psych team."

"I don't know. They've been pretty spot on about you, so far."

"Huh?" Shego scowled.

"They predicted you'd call about the job. They even predicted _when_ you'd call with a margin of error of less than two hours. They also predicted you'd give me all kinds of grief about it, but that you'd take the mission."

"How do they figure that?"

"Your greed. Your history of animosity to Ms Possible. Your desire to prove yourself the best. Your desire to humiliate Global Justice -"

"Fine, enough already. I get the idea."

"So you will take the job?"

"I'm not done with my questions. Here's an important one: are Global Justice going to double-cross me?"

"... everything I've said to you today will be honored, Shego." That was true, but Betty still felt dirty about what she _hadn't_ said.

The green woman stared at her hard, then finally nodded.

"Okay. I'll accept that. What makes you think I will succeed? I've got a few wins over Kimmie, but none when it really mattered."

"In the past, Ms Possible has had a network of friends, allies and resources to sustain her, while you have had to work alone, or with Dr Drakken -"

"Which was harder than working alone, trust me."

"... I thought the two of you were romantically involved at one point."

"Worst idea of my life. It was like dating an emotionally imbalanced octopus. Anyway, you were saying?"

"In the past, Ms Possible had better resources and support than you. The opposite is now true. You have significant ... though illegal ... resources, and Kim has no-one."

"You're sure of that?"

"She has a pet of some kind, but it shouldn't present you with any problems."

"Ugly looking little pink thing with no fur?" Shego sighed at Dr Director's surprised nod. "Don't underestimate those little freaks. There's no-one else?"

"We conducted a thorough investigation of all of her previous allies and acquaintances. Not to mention a few of her enemies. None of them appear to be assisting her. All the dossiers are in the files Agent Du will give you. Even yours."

Emerald eyes blazed as Shego leapt to her feet.

"What?_That's_ why I kept running into your goons a few months ago? You were trying to find out if I was helping _Kimmie_?"

"We thought it was extremely unlikely you would be. But we had to be sure before we offered you the job."

"Oh." Shego considered this, then settled back into her chair. "I suppose that's reasonable. Hope I didn't break your agents too badly."

"They'll all recover."

"Right. Last question: are you as big of a dyke as you seem?"

"_What?_"

"I'm kidding, Bets. Geez." Shego rolled her eyes. "Actually, my last question is: do you know where Kimmie is?"

"Yes. Have you heard of Veligrua?"

"It's one of those tiny Caribbean island states, right? Pops up in the news from time to time because of corruption?"

"Yes. It was originally a Spanish Crown Colony - Spanish is still the national tongue - which declared independence when the Spanish monarchy was deposed. In the sixties there was a major Communist insurgency, before a military junta seized power under the leadership of General Anton Harker. His hard-line anti-Castro politics have made Harker a firm friend of the United States, even though his domestic policies are ... somewhat draconian."

"In other words, he's a right bastard, but he's 'our' bastard." Shego air-quoted. "So Kim's in this Veligrua place?"

"Yes. For about two weeks now. She's been making a real nuisance for Harker: destroying police barracks, freeing prisoners and the like, and Harker is screaming at the UN to do something about it."

"And the UN is going along with this?"

"There are a lot of governments who are conscious that they could be Ms Possible's next target, if she succeeds in toppling Harker. And whatever I may think of the man and his policies, the General is the officially and internationally recognized government of Veligrua. Global Justice is required to provide whatever aid we can."

"Particularly expendable, green-skinned aid, right?"

"Does that mean you're taking the job?"

Slowly, Shego nodded.

"Yes. I'll take a couple of days to read over your files, and gather a team, and then I'll start the hunt."


	3. Discoveries

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0003

**Name:** Possible, Mr & Mrs Dr

**Known Aliases: **None

**Relation to Suspect:** Parents

**Location:** Lazy C Ranch, MT

**Biography:** The suspect's father is one of the world's foremost rocket scientists, while her mother is one of the most respected brain surgeons. Formerly attached to Middleton Space Center, Mr Dr Possible's security access was revoked when the suspect went AWOL from Global Justice. The Drs Possible subsequently moved to Montana where Mr Dr Possible develops robotic horses with his brother Slim. Mrs Dr Possible continues to practice her profession, and is widely considered the finest neurosurgeon Montana has ever seen. Both are currently domiciled with Slim Possible (PI Ref 0014) and his daughter Joss Possible (PI Ref 0015).

**Interrogation:**Both subjects deny any contact with suspect or knowledge of suspect's whereabouts, but stated full support for suspect's actions.

**Surveillance:** Attempted full time surveillance. All attempts immediately identified and agents repeatedly approached and offered cocoa and cookies. Hypothesis: Lazy C ranch equipped with advanced surveillance gear, for purposes unknown. No indication of contact with the suspect.

**Recommendation:** Maintain surveillance efforts.

* * *

Kim sighed with satisfaction as she finished sabotaging the helicopter. She hadn't done anything a mechanic with the right parts couldn't fix in a few hours, but the damage would prevent anyone from using the chopper to follow them.

"Rojo? All done with the radios?"

"Si." The mole rat called back as he manhandled a walkie-talkie larger than he was to the edge of the road and shoved it over the side of the mountain.

"You rock, Rojo." With the radios gone and the helicopter out of action, the soldiers would have to drive down out of the mountains; assuming they could get the jeeps past the chopper; and that would take hours. She and the four prisoners she'd rescued would be long gone by then.

Her attention drawn back to the prisoners, Kim gave the ghost of a smile. She'd told the quartet to take any food and water they could find on the soldiers, because they had a long walk in front of them and she was only carrying a few energy bars herself. The four were all crouched in the dusty road, wolfing down food and drink like they hadn't eaten for days. Which with how things were in Veligrua, might well be true.

"Warn them not to eat too fast." She cautioned the young woman who spoke English. Maria, she'd said her name was. "You don't want to get stomach pains."

The woman flashed her a bashful smile.

"I will tell them. I am not sure it will help."

Kim chuckled and hunkered down on her heels.

"Can you also let them know we need to move in five minutes? Anything they can't eat, they should find a way to carry it."

The woman nodded and relayed both messages.

"Now all I need to know is if there's somewhere safe I can take you." Kim continued. "Preferably somewhere with friends or family, and at least a day's travel from here." 

"I am not sure where we could go ..." the woman cast her eyes down, "Our families have disowned us all."

"Disowned you?" Kim paused in the midst of unwrapping an energy bar. She finished the job and snapped off a piece for Rojo, who gobbled it down hungrily. "What did you do to deserve that? The woman who told me about the convoy only said you'd been arrested on political charges. That doesn't seem like it would be that big a deal."

"We are perverts."

Kim nearly choked on her energy bar.

"Uh? What?"

The woman gave a throaty laugh and blushed a little, her dusky skin turning slightly darker.

"I am sorry. That is the English word the soldiers used. I do not know if there is a better one. Lucia –" she gestured at the other female prisoner, "- is my lover. Antonio and Paulo are also lovers."

"The right word is 'homosexual'. And it's not a crime."

"It is in Veligrua. We took part in a rally calling for the law to be changed. The government did not like it. Now everyone from the march is being arrested."

"Everyone?"

"Everyone the police can find."

Kim looked down at her hands, which lay clenched in her lap. Five years at GJ. Five years of turning a blind eye to things like this. Five years. Slowly, she willed her fists to uncurl. There was no time to sit around blaming herself. Not when she had five years to make up for.

"Then we'd better make sure they don't find you. Let's get out of here. We'll work out where we're going on the way."

* * *

"Ms Shego, I'm afraid Mr Hench has –"

Shego brushed aside the protests of the flustered secretary and thrust open the doors to Jack Hench's personal office. The room within was palatial: easily fifty feet across, it featured plush leather couches, a voluminous drinks cabinet, and a desk big enough to function as a double bed, were one inclined to a little office hanky panky.

Jack Hench was currently seated in the enormous chair behind the desk, a set of reading glasses perched on the end of his nose. He was looking at a sheaf of papers in his hand, but the banging of his office doors caused him to look up.

"Shego." He greeted the pale woman warmly, and gestured to the statuesque African-American woman sitting across the desk from him. "Have you met Ms Monroe? She's the head of HenchCo Outfitting. All your villainous costuming and accessory needs. Monique, this is Shego. One of our most respected customers."

"Cut the crap, Jack." Shego threw herself down into one of the spare chairs. "I've had enough of that from dealing with Betty."

"Ah, I take it your business is concluded? I've also been busy. Ms Monroe and I were just going over her Spring catalogue for henchmen."

"We're very excited about the new insulated fabric." The dark woman folded her arms. "It should even protect the wearer from plasma blasts."

Shego shot the younger woman a narrow-eyed look. She was picking up a vibe of hostility that surprised her. Even with all her practice, it usually took longer than this for her to annoy someone.

"I'm sure the new designs are just _fabulous_." She gritted. "But I need a word in private, Jack. Now."

Hench looked for a moment like he was going to argue, but then he caught a good look at Shego's expression.

"Monique, is it okay with you if we reschedule for first thing tomorrow?"

"Sure. I'll be in from seven."

"Excellent. We'll make it a breakfast meeting. On your way out, ask Danny to have the cafeteria send something up to my office around 7:15 tomorrow."

"Yes, Mr Hench." The young woman gathered up her designs and exited the room without so much as another glance at Shego. The pale woman watched her go, then turned and cocked an eyebrow at Hench.

"She actually any good at what she does, or are you just keeping her around for that rack?"

Jack laughed.

"She is a looker, isn't she? Trust me, it didn't enter into the decision. I would have hired her twice over based on talent alone. She was one of Club Banana's top designers before she came here."

"Okay, so she's just as good at designing a top as filling it out." Shego allowed, "That's not why I'm here. I'm here to ask how much of a mark-up you're charging Kimmie."

"What?"

"Don't play innocent, Hench. You might get away with it in court, but not with me. Kimmie's been on her own for over a year now. Whatever toys she took from GJ when she left, they must be long gone. There's only two places she could be getting fresh supplies ... and given her obvious connection with PPL, I've no doubt they're knee deep in GJ snoops. That leaves HenchCo."

"Yeah it does, but trust me –" Hench spread his hands, his usually meticulously cultivated speech gaining some of the roughness it had possessed in his youth, "- I ain't sold anythin' to Possible."

"You expect me to believe that? You could make a killing with the mark-up rates she'd have to pay."

"Right. And I could get killed by the three-quarters of my clientele she's put behind bars at one point or another." Hench pulled open a drawer in his desk and rifled through it. "And last I checked, Possible was back in the 'saving the world for free' line o' work. She's got less scratch than a kitten."

Shego rolled her eyes.

"Have you been watching Raymond Chandler films again?"

Hench ignored the question and instead threw a manila folder onto his desk. Shego stared at it.

"What's this?"

"A list of all the HenchCo warehouses that have been burgled in the last twelve months. Lots of stuff gone, all of it small and portable. Smoke grenades, nanobombs, that kind of thing."

Shego's eyes widened.

"_Kim Possible_ has been _stealing_ from you?"

"Yeah, yeah. Look, don't go broadcasting it, awright? I don't want the rest of my customers getting the idea they should follow her lead."

"No wonder you were so willing to host my little meeting. Kimmie must be costing you thousands." Shego flipped through the sheaf of papers inside the folder and whistled softly. "She took a Peregrine suit? Make that millions."

"Like I said, don't be gettin' ideas."

Shego cocked her head to one side.

"Actually, this does give me an idea." She caught the look on Hench's face. "Don't worry, Jack. It's one you're going to like."

* * *

"Is that the end of all business?" the heavy-set man with the thin crown of white hair glanced around the table. No-one spoke. "In that case –"

"Governors, there is one matter I would like to discuss." Doctor Director rose to her feet. She caught the glances between the six men and one women who formed Global Justice's Governing Council. It was a breach of protocol for her to raise an issue. As chief of operations, it was her role to provide expert analysis and advice ... not to raise matters for discussion.

The white-haired man frowned.

"It's very irregular."

"I know, Sir. But I feel it's important." Betty clasped her hands behind her back as the others silently conferred. They weren't really there in person, of course. They were dotted around the world in holo-rooms like her own, and she'd just been cut out of the audio feed while they made their decision. She could tell because there was an ever-present though nearly inaudible hiss when the connection was active.

"Very well, Doctor Director." The audio link cut back in abruptly. "You may present your matter to the Council."

"I wish to raise the matter of the Kim Possible operation." Betty saw expressions darken around the table, but she wasn't going to let that deter her again. "I want to re-state my objection to the plan."

The slim Chinese man three chairs to her right cleared his throat.

"I believe you made your opinion well known when the operation was originally proposed, Doctor Director. Your objections were considered by the council in our deliberations. I don't see the point of raising them again."

"I raise them again, Sir, because I would like them officially noted in the minutes."

The hiss of the audio link immediately cut out once more. It took all of Dr Director's iron self-discipline to keep her stoic expression. That had certainly got their attention.

After a few minutes, the hiss returned.

"Doctor Director ..." the speaker now was Ruth Lees, the only woman on the Council and the individual widely tipped to next be the Council's next Chairperson. "... are you refusing the carry out the assigned operation?"

"I am not. I have never refused an order in my career. I do not intend to start now." Betty kept her back ramrod straight.

"Then what possible purpose would this objection serve? The Council has made its decision."

"I don't agree with the decision, Governor Lees, and want my objections officially recorded. I will comply with my orders, but I do not believe the operation will be successful."

Governor Lees smiled. The expression was wintry.

"That rather depends on your definition of success, Doctor."

"Global Justice simulations show a less than four percent chance of Kim Possible being captured –"

"- without suffering a permanent and incapacitating injury. We read your report, Doctor Director. It was a key factor in our decision to proceed."

Betty frowned.

"Would you explain that, Governor?"

"There was something like a thirty percent chance of Ms Possible being killed or suffering a crippling injury, was there not?"

Betty nodded.

"And a very slightly greater chance of such a fate befalling Shego?"

"Yes. Shego's temper and long-standing rivalry with Ki – with Ms Possible – coupled with Ms Possible's own competitive nature and drive to succeed, indicated a high risk of serious harm to one or both women."

"Indeed. And in the eyes of the Council, any of these outcomes is a success."

Doctor Director blanched.

"Global Justice regulations permit the use of lethal force only in the most extreme situations –"

"Neither of these women are Global Justice agents, Doctor Director." Governor Lees cut her off with a bored wave of her hand. Betty seethed. "What they _are_ is the two most wanted criminals in the world. We consider that to be an extreme situation."

The white-haired man motioned that he wanted to speak. Governor Lees gracefully inclined her head, ceding him the floor. Doctor Director's control very nearly slipped. The man was the current Chairperson! Why was _he_ asking permission to speak?

"I know you worked with Ms Possible for many years, and feel personal loyalty to her." he raised a hand to forestall Betty's interruption. "And I also know you will carry out your orders to be best of your ability, regardless of your personal opinions."

"I will, Governor." Betty nodded her head, jerkily. "May I ask what the Council plans to do if none of the ... 'successful' outcomes occur?"

"We'll offer an extension of the original three month agreement to Shego. All psychological studies indicate she is almost certain to accept. Sooner or later, the operation will succeed."

Betty felt her stomach roil, but she kept her face impassive.

"Yes, Governor."

"Your objections will be officially noted. As will your acceptance of your orders."

"Yes, Governer."

"Was there anything else?"

"No, Governor."

"Excellent. In that case, we'll reconvene next week as normal. Meeting adjourned."

**Author's Notes:** Sorry for the lack of action in this chapter. It was pretty heavy on dialogue, I know, but it's all necessary set-up for the fireworks to really kick off. Expect to see a whole lot more action next time!


	4. Rushing to a Rendezvous

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0004

**Name:** PPL Technologies (Possible, James Jr; Possible, Timothy; Load, Wade)

**Known Aliases:** The Tweebs (not including Mr Wade)

**Relation to Suspect:** Brother; Brother; Friend

**Location:** Silicon Valley, CA

**Interrogation: **Subjects deny any contact with suspect or knowledge of suspect's whereabouts, but stated full support for suspect's actions.

**Biography:** PPL Technologies is one of the world's foremost suppliers of advanced technology including electronics, energy manipulations, robotics and communications. It was founded three years ago by the suspect's brothers and her long term friend Wade Load. Full ownership of the company rests with the three men, who are all multi-millionaires. Soon after its inception, PPL became one of Global Justice's principal vendors for advanced weapons, security systems and electronics. By mutual agreement, this relationship ended when the suspect when AWOL from Global Justice.

**Surveillance:** Full time surveillance for 3 months, including monitoring financial activity. Most electronic methods thwarted, but personal observation successful. No contact with suspect detected.

**Recommendation:** PPL remains the suspect's most likely source of mission hardware and financial support. Continue in-person surveillance. Continue monitoring financial activity.

* * *

The plushly appointed green and black Gulfstream aircraft soared through the upper atmosphere. Normally Shego preferred to travel in the modified F-35 she'd personally stolen from the US Navy's 1st Carrier Fleet, flying nape of the Earth to avoid radar detection (though the craft was stealth capable in any case) and not-so-incidentally to shatter a few windows along the way with the odd sonic boom. But she wanted her team with her on this job, and the single seat fighter wasn't built for either the passengers or cargo she needed.

Which explained why she was currently sitting up in the king-size double bed that dominated the Gulfstream's passenger compartment, clad only in green silk pajamas, and balancing a sheaf of documents on her knees. If you have to travel cross country, she figured, make sure to do it in comfort.

Shego shared the compartment with the three accomplices who had made her the most renowned criminal in the world ... at least until recently. And if anyone had told her a year earlier that _Kim Possible_ would be the one to finally end her reign on the Most Wanted list, she'd have laughed in their face or fed them some plasma. Or both. Across the room, sprawled in reclining leather chairs, were Vincent and Jean-Pierre. Vincent was a classically beautiful male Adonis. Piercing blue eyes, chiseled jaw, and a six pack you could bounce a coin off. Completely empty between the ears, but Shego hadn't hired him for his brains. Jean-Pierre was a ruggedly handsome Algerian, fluent in four languages. He wasn't as pretty as Vincent, but the things he could do on the massage table ... Shego smiled at the memory of those hands.

Both men were tall and strong, and their size was sometimes useful for intimidation (not that she needed help with that), but that wasn't why Shego kept them around. Mostly she did it because you needed at least a couple of goons to be considered a serious supervillain, and Vincent and Jean-Pierre were among the few who could be relied upon to follow orders _exactly_. True, with Vincent this was because a thought never entered his blonde head unless someone else put it there, but results counted more than reasons as far as Shego was concerned.

The third and final member of the team sat cross-legged on the end of Shego's bed. Lynn was a slightly built but wiry woman, with hair dyed so white it shone, and marred only by a blaze of scarlet in the fringe. She had a partially disassembled security camera – stolen from the hotel they'd left that morning – and was meticulously modifying it for wireless broadcasting. Lynn's role was as Shego's reconnaissance and surveillance expert. There wasn't an audio-visual system in the world she couldn't find her way into and subvert. Experience had taught Shego the value of these skills. Sure, blowing a hole in the ceiling and abseiling down was the fun way to steal things, but staying out of jail was even better. Not that there was much risk of capture now that Kim Possible wasn't after her.

"I've been going over GJ's files on Princess and the people she knows. I'm not finished yet, but it'll take weeks for me to read everything, and I have a lead that we can follow now. That's why we're on our way to Orlando." Shego began her briefing just after the aircraft leveled out at 30,000 feet. "GJ have discounted Stoppable and Kimmie's parents as possible sources of aid, and I agree. They think PPL might be helping her, but I think they are on the wrong track. Miss Priss wouldn't be stealing if she didn't have to, and I doubt she'd put her brothers' millions at risk by making them accomplices, either. I've got an advantage over GJ on this one since there's no way Jack Hench has reported any of Kim's thefts. The last thing he wants is law enforcement crawling around his warehouses."

"Kim Possible the super-thief. _Fer-eaky_." Lynn observed.

"GJ have certainly followed up every possible lead. There's even a file in here for Drakken, and he's been out of the game for years." Shego's lips quirked a little as she recalled the 'shampoo accident'. "They didn't have much that was flattering to say about me, I'm afraid."

Her three stooges dutifully laughed.

"It's the information from Hench that's our best lead, however, and that's information GJ didn't have. I ran the dates of the robberies against reports of Kimmie's activities and found something useful. There's a pattern to Princess's action. She pops up somewhere with her Robin Hood act for a month or so, then lays low for a few days or a week, before turning up again; maybe somewhere new, maybe the same place as before. It's during the time she's been 'under the radar' that she's been hitting Hench's places. And she always goes for the one that's closest to wherever she's going next."

Jean-Pierre's French-accented rumble interrupted her monologue.

"But if no one knows where she is going next, 'ow do we determine ze ware'ouse where she will strike?"

"Because I know something you don't. About nine years ago, I ran a few jobs in the Caribbean. One of them was in Veligrua." The dark haired woman explained, flipping a file on the island nation into the center of the bed. Lynn scooped up the papers and began to flip through them. "The place is a cesspit. Real old school dictatorship, with all the corruption and nepotism that comes with it. I was glad to get out of there. No way Kimmie's going to walk away from that place after only a few weeks."

Lynn nodded, a half-snarl, half-smirk on her face as she considered what this meant.

"So the skank will hit whatever HenchCo warehouse is closest to Veligrua, right? Which is Orlando?"

Shego nodded.

"Yeah, just down the road from Disneyworld."

"_Fer-eaky _neighbors."

Jean-Pierre shrugged.

"Per'aps not. One of zem is evil incarnate under ze veneer of respectability. Ze ozzer is 'enchCo."

Shego snapped her fingers to bring them back on topic.

"Listen up. This is the plan. Lynn, Hench has set aside one of the back rooms for you. Get the whole warehouse covered with your toys. I'm relying on you to cover _every_ way in or out of the place. I want to know where Kimmie is and what she's doing, as soon as it happens."

"No problem, boss."

"Let me know once you think you're done and we'll run a trial intrusion. If I can get in under your scopes, Kimmie can too."

Lynn looked a little surly.

"I know how to do my job, boss. You'll be able to do a freakin' documentary on Kim Possible with all the footage I'll get."

Shego's eyes narrowed.

"You willing to bet your share on it?"

"Woah, boss. I'm not arguing with ya. We'll run the intrusions like you want."

"Damn right we will. Now, I've had Hench send his people home for the next few days because I don't trust those goons not to interfere and mess things up ... but Kimmie needs to see some guards wandering around or she'll get suspicious. Vincent, Jean-Pierre: those guards will be you. Uniforms are in the closet over there." Shego pointed to her left. "Your job is to follow the usual security patrols and be a visible presence. You are _not_ to engage Kimmie, or get involved when I fight her. Capiche?"

Both men nodded their understanding, though Jean-Pierre had a question.

"What do we do if Kim Possible attacks us?"

Shego shook her head.

"I doubt it will happen. She's there to steal, not fight. But if it does, I doubt you'll have much say in how it goes down. As long as you don't try to play heroes -" she smirked at the term, "- in my fight, we'll be okay. Just remember: if you get involved when you could have stayed away, then even if Princess doesn't put you in the hospital, I will."

* * *

Kim crouched in the lee of a boulder. She and her four companions were hidden in the foothills above a fishing town on Veligrua's northern coast.

"This is Porto Pez." She told Maria, while the woman translated for the others. "I have a friend here who can help you with new identities and places to live, and it's large enough that two new couples in town for a few days won't attract any attention."

"Couples like us will always attract attention in Veligrua." Maria pointed to herself and Lucia.

"Yeah. But you have Paulo and Antonio here. Each of you can choose one of the men and pretend to be a couple." She nodded at the expression on Maria's face. "Yeah, I know it sucks that you got arrested because you wanted to be open about who you loved, and now I'm telling you that you can't. But this is only a temporary thing."

Maria looked unconvinced, and Kim couldn't blame her. The words sounded hollow even as she was saying them. 'Temporary' until what? How was she going to make a government change its ways?

"Look, I don't want you to have to lie either ... but with how things are, it's that or jail." She watched with a hollow feeling as the four Veligruans conferred in Spanish. She could follow enough to know that they liked what she was suggesting as little as she did. But there was no other option. She couldn't protect everyone on the island all the time.

"Anything is possible for a Possible." She muttered under her breath. "But not _every_thing."

Kim felt a slight tug on the fabric of her Peregrine suit as Rojo scampered up her front to perch on her shoulder.

"No melancólico." He bopped her on the ear with a tiny fist.

Despite her mood, Kim laughed a little.

"Okay, Rojo. No moping."

After a few more minutes of whispered conversation, Maria turned back to Kim and nodded.

"We will do as you suggest. Paolo and I will pretend to be together, and Lucia and Antonio."

"Good. We'll head down into Porto Pez immediately." Kim glanced at the sun. "I want us to get there before dark, so that the streets are still busy. That will make it easier to blend in, but it means we have to move fast for the next hour or so. You guys up for that?"

"Si." Maria smiled. "That means 'yes'."

"My Spanish isn't _that_ bad." Kim managed a fleeting smile in return. "It's a lot better after spending two days with you. You've been a real help."

"Nowhere near so much as you have been for us." Maria waved away the praise. "But if you want to learn more, you are always welcome to visit me."

Kim shook her head.

"It's better if I don't know exactly where you are. I might get caught one day, and if I do, the fewer people I can give up."

"Surely you would never -"

Kim held up a hand to forestall the objection.

"I've tangled with guys who can make mind control chips, and rays that turn you evil. I can't risk knowing where you live. My contact will probably move you out of Porto Pez in a few days, once he has new identities for you. I can't even risk knowing the new names you'll use. Which reminds me: you need to pick family names for the new identities you'll be getting. You can keep your first names. It's easier to remember. Trust me: I know from experience on that. Pick something common if you can."

Kim rose to her feet and glanced again at the sun. They were really going to have to hurry if they wanted to make it into town before dark.

"Civilian mode. Configuration three." She sub-vocalized into the suit receptors. Instantly, thousands of nano-circuits fired into life. The fabric around her feet thickened and hardened, molding into the shape of sturdy hiking boots. That around her legs loosened and darkened, becoming black pants that appeared to be tucked inside her footwear. The cloth over her Kevlar body armor also became less form-fitting, the refraction index changing so that blue gave way to olive green, while the sleeves shrank to t-shirt length. The metal bands at her wrists remained, turning into silvery bracelets, while her helmet retracted into a torc-like silver necklace. Even her belt and backpack changed appearance, becoming indistinguishable from brown leather.

Forced to scramble for balance by the sudden change in clothing, Rojo scolded Kim in snippets of Spanish, then bopped her ear again.

"Sorry, big guy. Forgot you were there." Kim rubbed at her ear, then scooped up her naked mole rat companion and held him in her palm. "But until they make a Peregrine suit in your size, you're going to need to stay out of sight, okay?"

Rojo sighed and nodded, then leapt from Kim's hand to the largest pouch on her belt.

"Rápida" he squeaked, sternly.

Kim smirked at the bossy instruction for haste and threw the mole rat an ironic salute.

"Let's go folks." She led the way out onto the road, and began the descent into the town. She pushed the pace as much as she dared. The four prisoners were all young and healthy, but they'd been traveling hard for two days already, and food had been limited.

"Your clothes are astonishing." Maria said shyly as she came up to walk beside Kim.

"The best money can buy." Kim agreed. "How's everyone holding up?"

"Lucia is struggling, but Antonio is helping her. It seems he will be a good husband."

Kim spared a smile for the comment.

"I'm sorry I had to ask you guys to do that."

"It is not your fault that Veligrua is as it is."

Kim nodded, but without conviction. She'd saved the world dozens of times while working for Global Justice, without ever considering what _kind_ of world she was saving. It seemed to her that there was some fault in that.

* * *

The sun had not yet risen, but small groups of men and women were already on the streets of Porto Pez, heading down to the docks and the fleet of small fishing vessels where many of them earned their living.

Kim Possible adjusted the position of her backpack and yawned deeply. She was a light sleeper; twelve months as a wanted felon had seen to that; and she rarely spent her nights in towns any more. The sounds of other people had woken her on several occasions. Moments after Kim's yawn, Rojo followed suit, which earned him an amused look.

"What are you yawning about, little man? You never stirred all night."

"Siesta!" Rojo stuck out his tongue, then contentedly burrowed into the soft lining of Kim's largest belt pouch.

"Lazy little rat." Kim grinned affectionately. The smile faded, but then brightened again as she looked up and saw Maria enter the room. "Hey there. Did Sancho get everything set for you guys?"

"Yes. All four of us will be able to stay together, pretending to be married couples as you suggested." Maria nodded.

"I'm sorry we can't do anything better than that for you."

Maria shook her head,

"We would not even have this if not for you. I will always be grateful."

"Hey, Dame Quixote!" A burly, middle-aged Veligruan man thrust his head in through the doorway, his black eyes twinkling at Kim. "The sea won't wait! Time to go!"

Maria's expression fell.

"You are leaving Veligrua?"

"Not permanently." Kim assured her. "I just have some business to take care of. I'll be back in a few days. But Sancho will have sent you on by then, so I guess this is goodbye."

"Oh. Well ... goodbye. And good luck." Maria offered her arms for a hug. Kim hesitated for a moment, and Maria saw the uncertainty. "Don't worry. I won't paw you."

Despite herself, Kim blushed.

"I'm sorry. That's not what ..." she trailed off and shrugged. "It's just been a long while since I hugged _anyone_."

The two woman embraced. It was chaste, as Maria had promised, but not entirely innocent. As Maria released the shorter woman, she slipped a scrap of paper into one of the side pockets of the redhead's backpack. Kim, her attention diverted by yet another call for 'Dame Quixote', did not notice what had occurred.

"Gotta go. Keep Lucia and the others safe." Kim grinned at Maria, then hurried out of the door into the dark street. With the sun not yet up, the air was chilly, and the redhead watched her own breath steam out like that of a dragon. A moment after she thought it, Kim felt surprise at the fanciful notion. "Must be something about saving people that brings out my sense of childlike wonder." She mused to herself.

"Sleeping beauty has joined us at last." The middle-aged man raised his hands in mock exultation.

"You're mixing up your references now, Sancho." Kim shot the man a smirk, which was slightly spoiled when she had to stifle another yawn. "The Dame Quixote thing was cleverer, though right now I wouldn't mind being Sleeping Beauty."

"Come." Sancho gestured down toward the harbor. "We'll get some breakfast on the boat, then you can sleep until we get to Fl ... where we are fishing, eh?"

"Please and thank you."

Sancho was almost as good as his word. Breakfast was waiting when they reached the small fishing boat, and after her fill of coarse black bread, fresh butter and honey-sweetened coffee (caffeine was a vice Kim had picked up during her college years), the redhead was able to curl up in a corner of the ship's cabin and catch a few more hours sleep. That was nowhere near enough to reach their destination; a point just outside US territorial waters; but it left Kim feeling refreshed.

Some hours after dark, the ship finally reached the end of its journey. Kim came out on deck, draining the remains of one last coffee. She was probably going to regret having the drink somewhere in the next few hours, but the pot had just smelt too good to ignore.

"How long do you want us to wait?" Sancho asked, as the other two crew members; both of them his sons; busied themselves with nets. Even in international waters, the ship might attract attention, so it was important to have a justifiable reason for their presence. Heck, they might even catch something.

"If I'm not back by dawn, I'm not coming." Kim answered. "I'll contact you back in Porto Pez if that happens."

She activated the suit's flight mode and leapt off the side of the ship, the jetpack giving its characteristic soft whine as it began functioning. Within seconds the whine was gone, and the only thing Kim could hear was the wind rushing past her ears. The problem with these long flights was that they gave her a lot of time to think. Sure, she had to check her course and bearing from time to time, but apart from that there was nothing to do but pick over past mistakes.

Even thinking about the task at hand didn't help. Kim disliked resorting to burglary to get what she needed. Stealing was wrong, even when it was from someone like HenchCo. The argument that her thefts were for the greater good rang hollow to her: she'd heard that line too often at GJ.

"Without the gear you can't help as many people." Kim growled at herself. "So just get over yourself and suck it up. Life's full of tough choices."

Evetually she landed on the building next to HenchCo's Orlando warehouse. A quick exterior survey showed that everything seemed normal. She tried a thermal scan of the interior, but was not surprised to find the whole building reading as heat-neutral. HenchCo's counter-surveillance technology was amongst the best in the world. The only way to find out what was inside was to go there.

"But I had to do that anyway. Gonna be hard to get all my groceries if I don't." Kim mused to herself, then keyed the suit's command receptors and sub-vocalized. "Camoflague mode. Configuration one." The entire suit immediatley darkened, the blue and silvery colors fading to matte, non-reflective black. "Black is so slimming."

She abseiled down the side of the building, then crept rapidly toward the HenchCo building, throwing a couple of EMP grenades in front of her. The devices 'explosion' was silent and invisible to human senses, but should knock out any motion sensors or video surveillance in the area. Once Kim was close to the wall, she fired the grapple from her hairdryer and climbed onto the roof. She could have just flown across, but sentimentality for the old days sometimes got the better of her.

Fifteen minutes later, Kim had already collected most of the things she wanted. HenchCo warehouses were all laid out in the same way, so she'd had her route planned out before she even arrived. There were a couple of burly security guards making their rounds, but both men had been easily avoided, and hadn't caused her any delays. Now, she was crouched on top of several large wooden crates, looking across several rows of free-standing metal shelves. The interior of the HenchCo facility was divided into several smaller storage areas, organized by the basic type of equipment: personal weapons, combat suits, death rays, weather machines, and so on. The area Kim was in was the personal weapons section: rack after rack of firearms gleamed below her, as well as crate after crate of grenades, knives and sundry other implements of violence. Fortunately HenchCo also produced some non-lethal items. EMP grenades, smoke grenades, tear gas, nanobombs – which could actually hurt someone, but Kim only used them for destroying locks – and so forth.

"Just gotta get some EMP grenades to replace the ones I used, and we will be out of here." She assured Rojo, who merely shrugged, clearly bored with how easily things were going. Then he and Kim both stiffened at the sound of a door being opened. Kim dropped onto her belly and peered down to the warehouse floor below.

A security guard had entered. This one was a woman, not one of the two men she had seen before. The guard had long, dark hair, and moved with a grace and poise that made Kim's eyes narrow. The woman had obviously had some martial arts training. Kim kept her glance brief, immediately moving her eyes away so that the guard was only her peripheral vision. Maybe it was foolish of her, but she'd always felt that people could tell when someone was staring at them.

Rojo scampered to the edge of the crate as well and also took a look at the newcomer, then glanced at Kim with a curious expression. The redhead pressed her fingers to her lips, indicating that the plan was simply to be silent and let the guard do her rounds and then leave. Rojo mimed a punch, clearly impatient to be gone. Kim frowned, and the mole rat subsided, though not without a long suffering roll of his eyes.

Sudden movement from the guard snapped Kim's attention back to the other woman. The guard sprinted along the corridor between the crates and shelves, then suddenly vaulted into the air, grabbing the lip of a crate, and flipped up and onto the top of the metal shelves, landing with cat-like grace.

"Okay, that's a hell of a lot more than _some_ training." Kim rolled onto her back and kipped up, dropping into a fighting crouch. She stared across the shadowy space at the other figure and raised her voice. "I guess Jack Hench decided to upgrade his security personnel."

The other woman chuckled, a low and sultry sound. Hairs rose on the back of Kim's neck. It couldn't be ...

Green flame flared around the woman's hands, and she swept them across her body, the gray and blue security guard's uniform burning away to reveal an all too familiar green and black jumpsuit. Kim froze as her opponent raised her head and gave the one-time teen hero a mocking smile.

"Cupcake, you don't know the _half_ of it." Shego smirked.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I meant to get to the actual fighting this chapter, but then I realized I needed to do a bit more setup. At least Kim and Shego are face to face now, and the kung fu fighting (everyone was fast as lightning) can begin next chapter.

Of course, Lynn is Adrena Lynn. This isn't going to be one of those fics where every KP bit player makes an appearance, but this particular character does have a role to play. On a related note, for those who are interested, I expect to cover the story of why Monique is working for Jack Hench in the next chapter.


	5. War in the Warehouse

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0012

**Name:** Monique Monroe

**Known Aliases:** Miss Monique

**Relation to Suspect:** BFF

**Location:** New York, NY

**Interrogation: **All attempts to interview subject were prevented by actions of HenchCo legal department.

**Biography:** High School friend of suspect. Received a degree in fashion studies and joined Club Banana and rapidly became of the country's top young designers under the nom de mode 'Miss Monique'. Subject resigned from Club Banana approximately 13 months ago, when she was hired by Jack Hench (PI Ref 0022) to be Senior VP of HenchCo Outfitting. It is believed that the subject signed the standard HenchCo contract, prohibiting most forms of contact with law enforcement operatives.

**Surveillance:** Surveillance undertaken for 1 month. No indication subject detected surveillance. No indication of contact with the suspect, but significant gaps in surveillance caused by HenchCo countermeasures. Subject's employment with HenchCo gives her opportunity for contact, but would likely contravene her conditions of employment.

**Recommendation:** Transfer surveillance responsibilities to project HENCHJ-02-001.

* * *

"Shego." Kim's tone was flat.

"The one and only." Her long time nemesis grinned, letting the green flames around her hands die down. "Gotta say, Princess, I'm disappointed in you. Stealing? How the righteous have fallen."

"At least I'm not the one taking a payday from Jack Hench."

Shego laughed.

"Hench? Sweetpea, your little shopping trips aren't costing Jack Hench the sort of money that would make him pay _my_ fees. I've got my contract with a certain one-eyed friend of yours."

"Bullshit."

"Language, Princess." Shego waved a finger in admonishment. "See what happens when you go on the lam? All your airs and graces end up in the gutter."

"If anyone would know about living in the gutter, it would be you." Kim jibed, then issued a silent command to her Peregrine suit. Metal gloves formed over her hands, which she curled into fists as she dropped into a fighting stance.

"Neat trick." Shego smirked, then re-ignited the flames around her own hands. "But mine's better."

The green woman leaped across the gap, the fist slamming down where Kim had stood a half-second before. Splinters of charred wood flew everywhere as the redhead span out of the way, turning her momentum into a crescent kick. Shego narrowly ducked under the blow and swept Kim's legs, but the former cheerleader hurled herself backward into a handstand flip, landing gracefully on another crate.

"Little slow there, Kimmie." Shego taunted. "That new suit of yours is certainly sexy, but I think it's holding you back."

Kim rolled her eyes.

"The fake flirting might have put me off when I was a kid, Shego, but it stopped working a long time ago."

"Who's faking?" Shego gave an exaggeratedly innocent smile.

"Not falling for it. Besides, there _was_ a reason I was a little slower than usual." Kim help up a tiny remote.

"Aw hell."

The nanobomb Kim had dropped as she leapt to safety went off just as the green woman realized she'd been played. The bomb detomated next to the bottom crate, caving in the side and causing the whole stack to topple sideways. Shego leapt to the first of the metal shelves, but the crates slammed into it, causing the shelves to also begin toppling.

Shego snarled as the shelves began falling like dominoes, and hurled herself up at one of the hanging light-fittings. The metal lampshade would have burned any normal person's hands, but Shego barely felt the warmth as she used her momentum to swing toward Kim's position. Releasing her hold, she somersaulted past her long-time adversary, putting herself between the redhead and the door out of the chamber.

"Clever, Pumpkin." The green woman gave a throaty chuckle. "But then you're proving a lot sneakier than I ever gave you credit for, of late. The trick you pulled with that Monique girl, for instance."

"... I don't know what you're talking about." Kim replied, hopping from crate to crate in an effort to circle round her opponent.

"Riiight." Shego drawled, then casually hurled a few plasma bolts to force Kim back to her original position. "I'm guessing one reason you had her do your dirty work is that she lies better than you do. Am I right?"

"Tell you what, Shego." Kim glanced to her left then leapt from the top of the crates to land smoothly on the floor below. Her voice floated up out of the shadows. "You tell me what you think you know, and I'll ignore you."

"Cute, Kimmie." Shego leapt from crate to crate and shelf to shelf, occasionally hurling a blast of plasma into the shadows. "Using my voice to track my position while trying to sneak around me? Won't work." she suddenly leapt down, landing right in front of Kim as the redhead hurried round a corner. "Boo!"

Kim swung a forearm, trying to knock the older woman off balance, but Shego caught the blow and fell backwards, swinging her adversary into a judo throw. Kim twisted in mid-air and tucked into a roll as she landed.

"Neat trick." She acknowledged. "Camera relays over the whole place and then an offsite coordinator to feed you the info through an ear mike?"

"Something like that. Triple redundancies on the cameras inside and out, too. So when you use one of those EMP grenades and knock out all the sensors for thirty feet, the ones further away just pick up the slack."

"Clever system." Kim gave a mocking salute. "Just one flaw."

She flipped an EMP grenade at Shego.

The green woman staggered as white noise howled into her ear mike. She recovered just in time for Kim's flying kick to hit her right in the chest, knocking her back and _through_ one of the piles of crates, which promptly collapsed in on top of her.

Kim hurried away as best she could. That grenade had been a little too close for comfort, and the Peregrine suit's functions were impaired. It would be dead weight for at least thirty seconds before the systems rebooted. A flash of green light and a shower of wood and metal told her she probably wouldn't even get that long.

"Rojo! Get the door open while I keep Shego busy."

"Si!" the naked mole rat raced down her leg and scurried through the darkened room.

"How you doing, Shego?" Kim shouted in a taunting tone. "Ready to give up yet?"

"Not on your life, Princess." The reply came as a snarl. Kim grinned, grabbed a nearby crate, and hauled herself on top of it.

"I'm right here, Shego." She spread her arms wide. "Come get me. Or talk me to death, like you were earlier."

Shego leapt into sight, a couple of tears evident in her costume and a deep scowl on her face. This wasn't going how she'd intended. She was the one who used banter to keep her opponent off balance, not Kimmie. It was time to seize the initiative.

"So you're telling me that you'd be perfectly fine if I had Hench fire your friend's pretty little ass?"

Kim folded her arms and glared at the older woman.

"One: I don't believe Hench would do that for you. Two: I don't want to hear what you think of my friend's ass."

"Would you prefer I tell you what I think about yours?" Shego smirked. Yes, _this_ was how things were supposed to go. Now Kimmie would get defensive and flustered.

"I'm sure you _love_ my ass, Shego." Or maybe she wouldn't. "Look, the pseudo-flirting may have worked when I was a kid ... hell, it might have worked a couple of years ago, when we last tangled. Not any more."

"Aw." Shego mock-pouted. "And here I thought you always liked it. Well, let's just stick to talking about your friend ..." she leapt between two stacks of crates, more effectively cutting off Kim's route to the door. Seeing Kim glance at a nearby stack, she hurled a blast of plasma, collapsing the entire structure. "Uh uh, Kimmie. Time for you to stay still. And why don't we be honest with each other for a moment?"

Kim raised an eyebrow.

"Honest? You?"

Shego affected a pained expression.

"Just because I'm a thief doesn't make me dishonest. I haven't lied since I got here. I bet you can't say the same."

"I ..." Kim caught a glimpse of movement past Shego. Rojo had crawled up to the security pad next to the warehouse doors. The mole rate had managed to get a screwdriver from somewhere and was busily unscrewing the panel to get at the wiring below. "... I can spare a few minutes. Why don't you dazzle me with your brilliance?"

"Don't worry, I will." Shego snuffed out her powers. "First things first, though: taking this job was just about the money. I don't have any personal scores to settle with you."

"Right. Because you certainly never said anything like 'no-one gets to kill Kimmie but me'. Because that _would_ be personal."

"Hey, back then you were a self-righteous pain in my ass. You're still self-righteous, but you're a pain in someone else's ass, now. I'm willing to let bygones be bygones."

"Well, I'm touched by the fact that you only want to catch me for money. That makes me feel much better about kicking your green butt."

"Only in your dreams, Pumpkin. Look, the reason I mention the cash is because that's all this is about, to me. So why not make things easy for us both? Let me take you in, I'll collect the reward, and then cut you in for twenty percent after you bust out. I mean, we both know GJ can't hold you for more than a month or two."

"Not a chance."

"C'mon, Princess, it's a lot of money."

"I'm not doing this for the _money_, Shego." Kim snapped, "I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do. Any time I spend locked up is time I'm not helping people. And while the countries _you're_ wanted in might have comfortable prisons with revolving doors, the ones that want _me_ don't believe in due process and _do_ believe in the death penalty. And you can bet they all have extradition orders ready to send to GJ. I'd be lucky to live a week, let alone a month. Letting you take me in is like sticking my own neck in the noose."

Shego frowned. Killing had never been her style. Mayhem and random destruction of property, sure. A good beating, no problem.

Her ear mike finally squawked back into life.

"She's just trying to put you off your game, boss." Lynn cajoled in Shego's ear. "She can't know for sure what GJ would do once they had her. Besides, that would be on _them_, not us. And we have five hundred million reasons to go through with this."

Lynn was right. Whatever GJ did to Kimmie wouldn't be her fault. And five hundred million was a lot of money. Enough to retire. Not that she would. Breaking stuff and stealing things was too much fun. But it would be nice to have the option.

"Guess it has to be the hard way then, Princess." Shego flared her plasma to life.

Kim sighed.

"I guess so." She dropped into a ready stance. "But leave Monique out of this. It's between you and me."

Shego gave a feline grin.

"So I'm right, then? She _is_ the one who set everything up when you decided to run."

Kim nodded, reluctantly.

"GJ was watching me too closely for me to do it myself. They like to keep tabs on their agents."

"No. They just knew you were a flight risk ... had done from the day you started. They just wanted to keep their claws in you as long as you could."

Kim paled a little.

"You have no proof of that."

"I got it straight from your boss, Pumpkin." Shego shrugged, squashing down on a moment of sympathy for the redhead. "Guess you aren't quite as wise to the ways of the world as you thought."

"Screw you."

"Sorry Princess, I like boys." This was better. Now she had Princess on the mental back foot. It wasn't really fair, but fighting fair was for suckers. "So you needed a way to protect your little friend from 'aiding and abetting' charges. Which meant you couldn't let GJ question her. And there's only one employer that's consistently blocked Global Justice enquiries. So it really _would_ be a pity if she lost her job."

Kim laughed. That was not the reaction to her threat that Shego had expected.

"Do you have any idea how good Monique is at what she does? Jack Hench is just as obsessed with wealth as you, Shego. He won't fire her. And that means you can't threaten her to get to me." The redhead gave her best impression of Shego's smirk, trying to project confidence. And she was ninety-nine percent confident she was right. Well, at least ninety-five.

"So it just comes down to you and me then, Pumpkin."

"It always does." Kim grinned, coiling herself to spring.

Shego exploded off her crate, her powerful legs hurling her toward the redhead. Kim slipped to the side of the leading plasma fist, snatched the green woman's elbow, and tried to flip her down into the crate, but a swipe from Shego's other fist caught her on the jaw, forcing Kim to release the hold and leap to where Shego had been standing when the exchange began. The older woman nipped up to her feet and gave a smug grin.

"Give it up, Kimmie. I'm better than you are. And I fight dirty." As she spoke, she pointed at Kim's feet.

"Wha?" Kim looked down, just in time to see the grenade Shego had left there go off. Fortunately, the Peregrine suit's Kevlar weave protected her from the shrapnel, but the concussive force of the blast slapped her off the crate.

Plummeting, Kim twisted her body and tried to find something to halt her fall. Her outstretched fingers brushed on the edge of a crate, but the impact just knocked her into a tumble. Her shoulder slammed into something, and she shouted in pain. It felt like it had been dislocated at least. Maybe broken. She slammed into the ground, hard, the pain from her shoulder nearly making her black out, but already the Peregrine suit was pumping a local anesthetic into the area. It wouldn't make the arm work any better, but it would dull the pain.

Shego landed lightly nearby as Kim struggled to her feet.

"Give it up, Kimmie. You can't beat me in your condition."

"Maybe." Kim coughed and clutched at her stomach, her arm wrapped close to her utility belt. "But you forgot one thing."

"If you mean your little rodent, I'm quite aware of what's he's doing." Shego cracked her knuckles idly. "He won't have any luck with that panel ... it's been disconnected from the doors."

"Clever." Kim admitted. "But Rojo's smart enough to have a plan B. And strong enough to carry a nanobomb."

There was a muffled _**crump**_ as the warehouse doors blew open. Shego was only distracted for a millisecond. But against Kim Possible, that was a millisecond too long.

Kim's arm snapped up, what looked like a small stick in her hand. She pressed a button and her camo-cape exploded out of the end like a net, flying straight at Shego. The green woman instinctively threw plasma, disintegrating the material in mid-air, but Kim used the distraction to launch a flying kick that struck her opponent high in the chest and knocked her sprawling.

Landing with panther-like agility, Kim ran for the doors. Rojo dashed out of the shadows and the redhead scooped him up with her good arm, barely breaking stride to do so.

"You're a lifesaver, Rojo."

"Soy el major."

"And so modest, too."

The mole rat merely chuckled.

Shego, meanwhile, was not in a laughing mood. She scrambled to her feet and charged after Kim, hurling plasma as she came.

"Damn you, Possible. You're not getting away!"

Kim zigzagged as she ran through the building, trying to throw off Shego's aim. Unfortunately, she zagged when she should have zigged, and one of the plasma blasts clipped her knee. The redhead staggered a little, and kept running, but now with a pronounced limp. Shego's dark lips curved into a predatory smile. She was gaining rapidly now. All she had to do was stop Kimmie before the younger woman made it out of the building. She pulled a hand back as she ran, green flame flaring for another blast –

- and Lynn burst out of nowhere, tackling Kim and slamming her against the wall.

"Don't worry boss, I got her!" the white-haired woman called.

"Damnit." Shego let her flames die and put on an extra burst of speed. The fool kid was going to – "Ah hell."

Rojo raced up Kim's front and bit Lynn's hand. The electronics expert yelped in pain, and her grip loosened for just a moment. In that moment, Kim slipped out of Lynn's grasp, slammed her hip into the other woman's back, and used that as a pivot to hurl the white-haired woman straight into Shego.

Kim's two hunters went down in a tangle of limbs. Rojo gave Kim a smug look.

"Ve?"

"Okay, Rojo. You're the best." The redhead limped the last few yards to the doors out of the facility, activated the Peregrine's suit mode, and soared into the sky.

Yelling curses, Shego fought her way out from under Lynn, ran to the doors, and hurled plasma blasts after Kim, but the redhead easily outran them.

"Damn it, Lynn!" the green woman roared. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"She was getting away!" Lynn protested, dabbing at her nose, which was bleeding heavily.

"Shit. Tilt your head up so I can see what I'm doing." Shego knelt beside the other woman, tore a strip off the bottom of Lynn's T-shirt, and pressed it to her nose to staunch the bleeding. With her other hand, she pinched tightly on the fleshy part of Lynn's nose.

"Ow!"

"Quit being a baby. It'll help stop the bleeding."

"I think I chipped a tooth." Lynn's voice came out all nasally due to the pinch of Shego's fingers on her nose.

"That's because you got involved, you little idiot." Shego snapped. "Exactly like I told you not to do!"

"You said that to Vincent and Jean-Pierre, not me."

"Because I didn't think you were stupid enough to do this."

"She was going to get away!"

"I was just about to stop her with a plasma blast, when _you_ got in the way."

Lynn looked crestfallen.

"... sorry, boss."

"Your skinny ass _better_ be sorry, Lynn. You just cost us a lot of money. And now we're going to have to go to Veligrua to look for Kimmie. Jeez, I hate that dump." Shego caught sight of a small scrap of paper that Lynn was holding. "What's that?"

"Something Possible dropped when I grabbed her. Dunno what it is." Lynn offered the paper to Shego.

"Both my hands are full, Lynn. You need to hold the rag for me."

Lynn did as instructed, allowing Shego to grab and unfold the paper. She glanced at the small, neat writing there. Slowly, a smile spread over her features. Lynn caught the expression and looked puzzled.

"What is it, boss?"

"This is your 'get my ass out a sling' card." Shego chuckled, turning the paper around so Lynn could read it.

_Kim,_

_If you ever need a friend._

_Calle Verde 6_

_Bahía de Pájaro_

_Maria Mendes_

"Now we know where to start looking."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to keep up this 'every couple of days' update schedule forever, but while the material is flowing, I may as well put it up. I hope the story behind what happened with Monique came across clearly in this part. It ended up getting a little broken up with all the kung fu and the snide comments Kim and Shego kept using!

And now, it looks like Maria's desire to befriend Kim may cost them both ...


	6. Repercussions

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0001

**Name:** Kimberly Anne Possible

**Known Aliases:** KP, Jan Likely, Blue Angel

**Relation to Suspect:** N/A

**Location:** Changes regularly; currently Veligrua

**Interrogation: **To date, Global Justice has been unable to locate and detain suspect for interrogation.

**Biography:** Saved the world for the first time at age 15. Known to have undertaken over 150 successful missions, including saving the world on over 40 occasions, while still in high school or college. Joined Global Justice upon graduation from college with honors. Served 4 years as a field agent. Named Agent of the year in all 4 years. Second most highly decorated field agent in Global Justice history (exceeded only by Dr Elizabeth Director). Outspoken against certain Global Justice policies during 4th year of service. Went AWOL approximately 12 months ago, immediately after successful conclusion of the 'Mutant Marigold' incident (Case Ref: DEMENT-15-023). Since departure, has conducted a spree of politically motivated crimes against regimes the suspect considers 'unjust'. Currently the World's Most Wanted Woman.

**Surveillance:** Unable to locate.

**Recommendation:** Employ all possible means to locate and capture. Use of deadly force is authorized.

* * *

As soon as she was sure she wasn't being followed, Kim looked for a place to land. The huge, golf ball-like centerpiece of the Epcot Center caught her eye, and she swooped down to make a landing. It was really too obvious a landmark to be a safe choice, but she wouldn't be staying long, and it was close.

Feathering the power of the jetpack more than she normally would, Kim came in for as gentle a landing as she possibly could. Her knee was painful, despite the Peregrine suit's anesthetic, and until she checked it properly, she couldn't be sure how damaged it was.

The suit's pain-killing facilities were a boon in any fight, allowing her to press on with injuries that might otherwise stop her, but they carried a risk. Pain meant damage, and exerting a damaged joint or muscle could aggravate the injury. Learning that lesson had cost Kim five percent of the function in her left hand. Fortunately, that had negligible effect on her day to day life, but it was a warning she hadn't ignored.

There was a twinge of pain from her knee as Kim landed, but it didn't collapse under her, which was a good sign. Taking a less than comfortable seat wedged between two of the globe's many protrusions, she first turned her attention to her injured shoulder. A few gentle probes with her finger tips brought some relief. It was just dislocated, not broken. Kim had been hopeful that was the case: she'd dislocated it during a mission back in college, and it had popped out at least a half dozen times since then. Putting it back hurt like ... well, it hurt a _lot_. But it was much better than a broken bone would have been.

Kim reached into one of her belt pouches and pulled out a thick piece of rubber. She jammed it between her teeth, grimacing at the unpleasant taste. After she put the ball of the shoulder joint back in the right place, the pain would almost immediately decrease, but first she had to get it there. The rubber would muffle any sounds she might make, and also stop her biting through her own tongue. Closing her eyes, Kim drew a couple of deep breaths through her nose. Time to do it.

When the wave of pain-induced dizziness and nausea passed, Kim spat the piece of rubber back into her hand, wiped it once, and stuck it back in her belt.

"Now for the knee."

Kim squirmed, trying to get a good look at the injured joint. There were even worse places to try and examine your own injuries – the small of the back came to mind – but this one wasn't easy. And actually treating it would present an even greater challenge.

Rojo emerged from her belt and inspected the reddened skin on the back of Kim's knee.

"No malo."

"Could be worse." Kim agreed, fumbling in her belt for a tube of burn ointment. "Shego was only using low-powered blasts. If she hadn't caught me right on the knee, she probably wouldn't have even penetrated the suit." The Peregrine's protection was weakest at the joints. "I guess GJ want me alive. Say, little bud ... can you put this on for me? I can't reach properly."

Rojo took the ointment and carried it down to Kim's knee. Then he unscrewed the cap and jumped on the tube, spurting a dollop of the white cream directly on the sensitive skin. Kim hissed a little as the injury complained for a moment, but then relaxed as the molerat spreading gently smearing the ointment across her skin, his nose wrinkled at the feel of the gunk all over his paws.

"Thanks buddy. I owe you a big slice of apple pie."

Rojo gave her a thumbs up, then glanced at her injury and mimed wrapping it.

"Yeah, I got some bandages right here. Once I've got this strapped up, we'll be good to go."

"Necesite un palo."

"What?"

Rojo mimed walking with a stick.

"A walking stick? This is no big, Rojo. I'll be fine."

The mole rat simply looked at her. Kim sighed.

"Okay, I'll use a stick. But just for a few days, until I can put all my weight on it."

Rojo nodded his acceptance of these terms. Kim chuckled and patted his head.

"You're a bully, little man."

* * *

Sancho was waiting on the deck of the boat as Kim came in for her landing. The sky was beginning to turn pale in the east, though the sun had not yet appeared.

"You ran into trouble." It wasn't a question.

"So not the drama."

"I expected you to return more than an hour ago, and you are injured."

"I ran into a prior acquaintance." Kim shrugged, and suppressed a wince when her shoulder protested at the thoughtless action. "We caught up on old times. I got away fine. I'm only late because I had to stop at a diner for garbage guts here –" she poked Rojo's pouch, prompting a sleepy snort of annoyance "- to eat half a pie."

Sancho looked startled.

"You had a fight and were injured, and you stopped to _eat_?"

"Well, I only had coffee. Rojo did the eating. But yeah." Kim frowned. "I guess that was a bit careless."

"More than careless." Sancho shook his head. "What were you thinking?"

"I just ... I'd told Rojo I'd get him some pie, and I felt fine –"

"From the look of you, you should feel half dead!"

Kim paused for a moment, digesting Sancho's words. The middle-aged man was right. She'd been in a tough fight, learned that her previous employer had put a bounty on her head, and suffered two painful injuries. Even accounting for the anesthetic, she should feel terrible.

"It's weird." She admitted at last, carefully remembering not to shrug. "You're right ... I should feel half dead. But I feel great. I guess maybe it's from tangling with Shego for the first time in two years –"

"Shego? The green woman with the fire powers?"

"Plasma powers, but yeah. You know of her?"

"She came to my country a few years ago. Stole a lot of money from General Harker. Why did she attack you?"

"She's being paid to bring me in."

"Well, she is wanted in Veligrua, so I doubt she will follow you there, yes?"

Kim laughed, a little bitterly.

"You don't know who she has on her side. Even Harker will turn a blind eye if she comes to Veligrua now. He wants me gone more than he wants revenge."

Sancho did not look convinced, but he let that matter drop.

"And fighting this woman made you feel _good_?" His tone was perplexed.

"I guess it is a bit odd." Kim conceded. "But Shego was a big part of my life when I was in high school. We must have tangled fifty times or more. There were even a few times we were on the same side. Fighting her tonight reminded me of those times. Life was a lot simpler then. All I had to worry about was homework, boys and saving the world."

"At least now you have no homework."

Kim laughed and punched Sancho lightly in the arm.

"No boys either ..." she grew more sober, then forced a far less humorous chuckle, "... the whole saving the world thing got a lot more complicated, though. I miss the days when I knew that everything I was doing was right. Drakken would invent or steal some crazy device. Shego and I would fight. Ron ..." he voice caught, "... Ron would handle Drakken. We'd save the day. Then I'd go home to hot cocoa, my perfect parents, and my perfectly annoying brothers."

"We cannot stay children forever."

"No. But kicking Shego's butt the next time we tangle actually sounds like something to look forward to." Kim grinned, "It's been a while since I had one of those."

* * *

Four days after the encounter in Orlando, Shego arrived in Bahía de Pájaro, accompanied by Lynn and Vincent. Jean-Pierre, fluent in Spanish, had arrived two days earlier to make all the arranagements.

"This will do." Shego admitted grudgingly after looking over the fourteen room villa Jean-Pierre had rented for the month. "The pool could have been bigger, but the spa bath is a nice touch."

"Are you kidding boss? This place is _fer-eaky_ cool!" Lynn exclaimed, dumping a huge jumble of canvas bags in the middle of the villa's marble-tiled atrium.

"Well keep this place in mind the next time you get the urge to screw up one of my plans." Shego fixed the other woman with a stare. "Your share of Kimmie's bounty would buy this place five times over."

Lynn nodded, eyes wide. Shego briefly smirked. One of her favorite things about working with crooks: their motivations were much less complicated than those of the so-called heroes who faced them.

Vincent entered, arms loaded with Shego's extensive set of matching green and black luggage.

"Where do you want your bags, boss?"

"Master bedroom, Vincent." Shego gestured down the hall, though she wasn't sure the man could actually see over the pile he was carrying. She turned to Jean-Pierre, who had been giving her a tour of the premises, and gestured at the furniture and decorations. "Did you buy all this, or did you rent the place furnished?"

"Furnished. Fifteen thousand Euros – in cash – for the month. That includes the pool boy, the chef and the cleaning service."

Shego nodded in satisfaction.

"Who's the owner?"

"Victor Agruzzo. He's a senior bureaucrat."

"One of Harker's stooges?" Shego smirked at the answering nod. "Excellent. Take a list of anything valuable and portable. We'll take it with us when we go."

Jean-Pierre frowned.

"You sure, boss? Harker already hates your guts. Piss him off again and he might 'forget' about the promises he made to Global Justice."

"That's why we're only going to do it when we _leave_, doy."

"Okay. You got it, boss."

"Wait. Before you do that: did you find this Maria Mendes?"

"Yeah, boss. She and her husband share a little place on the west side of town with another couple. All four of them have jobs of one kind or another, so the place is empty most of the day. Shouldn't be any problem to hook the whole place up with Lynn's gadgets."

Shego nodded in satisfaction.

"Perfect. I'll see to that immediately."

* * *

Shego stared at Lynn's monitors, her mouth gaping in surprise. Maria Mendes might live with a man she called her husband, but she certainly wasn't _sleeping_ with him. The video feed from Lynn's cameras made that abundantly clear.

"Holy shit." Lynn ran a hand through her spiky white hair. "Possible's little friend is a full-on lesbo."

"Shut it off."

"Boss?"

"I said shut it off, Lynn. They're not going to talk about anything we need to know about, right now."

"That one chick can't talk about anything, with what she's doing." Lynn cackled. "Fer-eaky. Hey, do you think Possible's a muff-div –"

_**Smack**_.

Shego's palm stung. Lynn stared at her in shock, a red welt already appearing on her cheek.

"Don't say another word, Lynn. And shut off the damn feed."

"Okay, boss. Jeez." Lynn shut off the video and audio feeds. If Shego had been a little more familiar with the equipment, she might have noticed that while the screens were now blank, the little red 'record' light was still on. "I was just kidding around."

"Well, don't." Shego slitted her eyes, deliberately not thinking about that twenty-year old conversation with her brother. "Just because someone has a gay friend, doesn't make them automatically gay as well. And whether Princess is straight or not doesn't affect what we're doing here. All that matters is that this woman is Kimmie's friend: that means the little hero will have to protect her if she's threatened. All we have to do is make sure Princess knows the girl is in danger, and Kimmie will come to us."

"So how do we do that, boss?"

"_You_ don't. _You_ stay here and check the feed every five minutes. Once the two lovebirds are done, start recording again. Let me know if you learn anything useful. Tomorrow, _I'll _deal with Ms Mendes."

"Gotcha, boss." Lynn's tone was neutral. Shego briefly considered apologizing for hitting the other woman, then squelched the impulse. She was in charge, and Lynn needed to learn that. Instead, the green woman merely nodded and left the room.

Which meant that she wasn't there to see the dark and sullen expression on Lynn's face as the white-haired woman rubbed her smarting cheek.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Details of Shego's "twenty-year old conversation with her brother" will eventually be revealed. All I will say for now is that the conversation was not about Shego's sexuality.


	7. Conversations Past and Present

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref: **0030

**Name: **Team Go

**Known Aliases: **Hego, Henry 'Harry' Edwards; Mego, Martin Edwards; Wego, Walter and William Edwards

**Relation to Suspect:** Occasional allies

**Location:** Go City

**Interrogation: **All members of Team Go disavow any knowledge of the suspect's whereabouts or intentions.

**Biography:** Brothers of Shego (PI Ref 0006). Received superpowers from a comet approximately 22 years ago. Formed Team Go and served six years as guardians of Go City, before departure of Shego led to team disbanding. Only Hego continues to maintain an active role as a hero. Mego is an advertising executive. The Wegos have roles on the TV serial "Clone Rangers" and are currently dating the Elson twins.

**Surveillance:** Full time surveillance undertaken for 2 months. Surveillance detected by subjects, but no attempt to elude investigators. No indication of contact with the suspect.

**Recommendation:** Go Tower communications system is notoriously susceptible to villainous infiltration. Continue surveillance of this system, but terminate all other surveillance due to minimal risk of suspect contact.

* * *

The heat of the black wig, warmed by the Veligruan sun, made Kim's scalp itch, but she resolutely kept it on as she tramped slowly out of Porto Pez. With Shego on her trail, she had to avoid detection. Her red hair and fair skin was very conspicuous amidst the mostly Hispanic population of the island, so the wig was essential for moving about unnoticed. She just had to hope the sweat running out of her hairline didn't cause streaks in the temporary tan she was wearing.

"I probably ought to cut my hair so the wig isn't so hot." She muttered to herself, swinging her walking stick as she made her way along the road. She didn't actually _need_ the stick. After six days, her knee was all but healed, troubling her only if she tried to run at full speed, but the elegant bronze and mahogany stave was a gift from Sancho, and Kim had come to like its solid heft in her hand. "I'll need some way to hook it to the Peregrine suit if I keep it though."

"Loco." A small voice from her belt pouch let her know what Rojo thought of people who talked to themselves. Kim gave a quite chuckle and glanced around to make sure there was no-one close enough to hear the conversation.

"People in glass luchadore masks shouldn't throw stones." She informed her companion. "Particularly when there's at least another mile to go before I can safely let them out of their hot pouch."

Her only answer was indistinct grumbling, which Kim smilingly ignored as she made her way up into the mountains above the village. She'd spent most of the time since fighting Shego laid up in Sancho's home, letting her shoulder and knee recover, and keeping tabs on the In-Terror-Net through Sancho's secret wire tap into the Veligruan underworld. Shego's complexion would make it even harder for her to blend in on Veligrua than it was for Kim. Even if Shego tried to conceal her arrival; and subtlety had never been part of her style; then news would inevitably seep out to the network once the green woman was on the island. When it did, Kim planned to go from hunted to hunter.

The redhead supposed that deliberately seeking out the woman who was hunting her might sound foolhardy. Sancho had certainly thought so, when she told him what she planned.

"But ángel azul," he had objected, pointedly ignoring Kim's frown at the nickname she felt was far from deserved, "you yourself have told me that this Shego woman is the only one of your opponents who was truly a match for your skills as a fighter. Surely now, with the power of Global Justice to support her, she has the advantage? Should you not do your best to avoid her?"

Kim had shaken her head, mentally collecting her thoughts before she answered.

"Shego is the best fighter I've ever faced. Even with the Peregrine suit, I was lucky to escape the last time we tangled –" she held up a hand to forestall Sancho, who was clearly going to point out that her words supported his position. "- but that's exactly _why_ I have to go after her. Shego's best on the offense. She likes to attack. She likes to get her enemy off-balance, either physically or mentally. She likes to choose when and where to fight. She had all those advantages in Orlando. And if I try to run from her, then I'm giving her all those advantages for the next time we meet, as well. She can stalk me, and pick her opportunity to strike. If I want to beat her, I need to be the one who chooses when and where the showdown happens."

"Very well, I can see the tactical advantages." Sancho conceded. "But what if she has support from Global Justice? She never had that in the past, and it might tip the balance in her favor."

"Even _if_ they really hired her, I doubt Shego would accept aid from GJ, assuming they offered it." Kim shook her head. "Which I can't imagine Dr Director doing –"

"Could you have imagined her hiring Shego to hunt you?"

Sancho looked surprised when the redhead nodded without hesitation. She'd had plenty of time on the boat back to Veligrua to think this one through.

"If she was ordered to, she would. She swore an oath of loyalty when she joined GJ, and her word is more important to her than anything else."

"Did you not swear such an oath as well?"

"I did. And I always try to keep my word ... but doing the right thing is even more important to me."

"And you believe her superiors would issue such an order." It wasn't a question; Sancho could see Kim believed it, but the redhead answered as if it were.

"Yes. Global Justice answers to the governments of the world. GJ does a lot of good –" Kim paused abruptly, as if something about her own words had surprised her. Then she smiled a little. "GJ does a _lot_ of good. But they rely on the nations of the world for their funding. I've made it abundantly clear I'll go anywhere in the world to help people, and Veligrua is far from the only country to mistreat its people. It just happens to be small enough that I thought one person might really make a difference."

"You have."

"Not yet I haven't. But I will."

Sancho brought the conversation back to its original point.

"Okay. Say you beat Shego, what then? You ... won't ... kill her. She can just come after you again and again until you make a mistake."

Kim paused. This was where her plan was weakest.

"I need to beat Shego thoroughly." She said at last. "I don't mean beat her to a pulp. Though with Shego it might be necessary. I mean beat her soundly, convincingly. And then I need to look her in the eye and tell her that she gets one chance to walk away. That my mission is more important than my scruples, and that if she comes after me again, it will be the last thing she ever does."

Sancho stared at her for a long moment, weighing her words.

"So ... a bluff? That is your plan?"

"Yeah." Kim nodded, clamping down on her mixed emotions. She'd hoped he might accept the threat at face value. It would have made the plan easier to sell. At the same time, she was flattered that he thought better of her than that.

"You have never killed. Do you think she will believe you?"

"I just have to be really convincing. And of all the people in the world, Shego might be the one who is most likely to believe me –" Kim caught Sancho's questioning look. "- a long time ago, I told her I hated her. And I really meant it. I'm not proud of what I did after that. If it had been anyone but Shego, it _would_ have killed her."

For a moment, Sancho looked disbelieving, but eventually he nodded, seemingly convinced by the grim expression on Kim's face.

"You have a lot of history with this woman."

"Well, until Orlando, I hadn't seen her for nearly two years. But before that, I must have fought her more than a hundred times."

"So you know her well?"

"... I wouldn't say that, exactly."

"Well enough to guess how she will react to your bluff?"

Kim gave Sancho a level stare.

"You're still trying to get me to avoid her, aren't you?"

He nodded.

"She does not sound to me like the kind of person who will back down from a threat. Your strategy may simply make her more dangerous, more determined."

Kim sighed. She hadn't had an answer for Sancho at the time, and she still didn't have one even now, a day later. Her plan really wasn't a good one, she knew. But it was the best she had. The only other thing that might work would be to disappear completely. Cut off all her activities and just hide until Shego got bored of looking for her. But that could take months ... maybe years. And in that time she wouldn't be able to help anyone. Global Justice would have won.

"No, that's not fair." She admitted to herself as she turned off the dusty road far above Porto Pez. "The people who are using GJ against me will have won, because I'll stop being a threat to them."

Kim stopped to admire the view, flicking open Rojo's belt pouch as she did so, and gratefully removing the weight of the wig from her own head. It was saying the words 'GJ does a lot of good' that had begun to things clearer for her. She'd let her frustration with the things Global Justice _couldn't_ do blind her to the many positive things they achieved. She'd lain awake at nights, vilifying herself for wasting five years of her life as a Global Justice agent.

"Those years weren't wasted." She told the empty sky. "I saved hundreds of lives and stopped dozens of crimes. But there are things that Global Justice _can't_ do. And that's why I couldn't stay. I'm Kim Possible. I _can_ do anything, and not even Shego is going to stop me."

Kim expected Rojo to have some quip about the arrogance of her bold statement, but the little mole rat remained silent in his pouch.

"You okay there, little buddy?"

"Mensaje." He said simply, his little face grave as he wrestled her communicator out of the pouch.

"Why so glum?" Kim teased. She flicked her hair back from her eyes as she took the device and thumbed it into life. "This is the best I've felt in a long time."

There was a single new message, from Sancho. It was unusually terse.

_She's arrived. See attached._

Kim frowned, her instincts prickling, and opened the attachment. What she saw destroyed every shred of her good mood.

* * *

Twenty-seven hours before Kim's day was ruined, Shego lay on her bed, watching the room slowly brighten with the dawn. The green woman was fully dressed. She'd woken well before dawn – a proper night's sleep was a luxury that internationally wanted criminals could not afford, and even with Global Justice's assurances no-one was after her, old habits died hard – and donned the tailored black pants suit and green blouse. That, she now recognized, had been mistake. She should have put on her catsuit and hit the villa's gym for a couple of hours before showering and changing. But now she was dressed, and changing back would be too much bother. Which meant that unless she wanted to read the latest _Villain's Weekly_ for the third time, she had nothing to do but lie there and think. That didn't sound like a fun way to spend an hour at the best of times, and with the previous night's conversation with Lynn still in her mind, this was far from the best of times.

Alex. Shego scowled, fighting the urge to ignite her hands. It had been years since she'd thought of that name. Now wasn't the time to dredge up past mistakes.

"Yeah. Like you can stop yourself thinking about it once it's there." She berated herself. "That's like saying 'Don't think of a hippopotamus'."

In her mind's eye, she suddenly saw a hippopotamus with Alex's face. The image was almost absurd enough to break her bleak mood. Almost.

Shego had been fourteen, still young enough to buy into her brother's superhero fantasies. Hell, still young enough to think the three-years-older Hego had the wisdom of Solomon to go with the strength of Hercules.

"Shannon, we need to talk."

"Sure, bro." She'd thrown open the door of her room at the Go Tower and waved him in, only noticing the serious expression on his face as he stepped inside. "Is everything okay? Nothing's happened to mom or dad?"

"Our parents are fine." Hego managed a wan smile as he settled into the chair at her dresser. Shego hopped onto her bed, tucking her legs under herself as she waited to hear what he had to say. "It's about your friend Alex."

"Alex? Nothing's happened to her, has it?"

"No. We just need to talk about what she told you last week."

Shego blinked, trying to recall the many conversations she'd had with her best friend over the preceding seven days.

"This isn't about her thinking 'Pals' is better than 'Agony County', is it?"

"No. It's about her telling you she's a le –" Hego colored. "A le ... that she likes other girls."

Shego felt puzzled.

"You know about that? She said I was the only one she'd told. She wanted to tell me before she told –"

"Her parents." Hego supplied. "She told them last night."

"She was worried they would freak." The green girl began to feel nervous. "Did they freak?"

"They ... were concerned. Especially when Alex told them that you knew, and were fine with it."

"I _am _ fine with it. Alex can crush on cheerleaders instead of footballers, if she wants, she'll still be my friend."

"Alex's parents thought there might be more to it than that."

The fourteen year old was totally confused now.

"More to what?"

"They thought you and Alex might be encouraging each other to ... experiment."

Absurdly, Shego felt an urge to point out that they were lab partners in science. But she was starting to realize what her brother meant.

"It's not like that!" she protested. "Last week was the first time Alex said anything about liking girls. She just needed to know I would still be her friend!"

"I know, Shannon." The expression of relief on his face made it clear he _hadn't_ known, and for the first time Shego felt like she couldn't entirely trust her brother's words. "But if Alex is coming out, and you're seen spending lots of time with her ... well, Alex's parents won't be the only people who draw that conclusion."

Shego snorted. Clearly, Alex's parents _already_ weren't the only people to have drawn that conclusion.

"I can't help if people are dumb."

"It may be ... incorrect ... for people to think that you and Alex are more than friends." Hego admitted. "But that won't stop it happening. Are you willing to put up with people whispering about you whenever you walk by?"

"I'm _green_, Harry. They already whisper."

"Right now they whisper 'That's Shego. She's a superhero. She protects us'. Imagine what they will say once they know about Alex. The things they'll imagine you are doing with her. And it won't just be whispers, Shannon. There'll be paparazzi, stalking you whenever you're with her, looking for any opportunity to twist an innocent moment into a sexual tryst. There'll be televangelists denouncing you on their shows, talk back radio hosts inciting their listeners -"

"Okay! I get it!" Shego sank her head into her hands, "But what can I do, Harry? She's my _friend_."

"I know she is. But you need to tell her you can't see her for a while. You need to be able to keep doing good, and this might interfere with that." Hego reached out and awkwardly patted her hand. "She's your friend, she'll understand."

But of course, Alex hadn't understood. Why should she? She'd been turned on by her parents, ostracized at school ... abandoned by her best friend. Two weeks later, she'd tried to take her own life. The attempt failed, but left her partially disabled, in need of life-long care. All because Shego had listened to her brother's advice: something she never did again.

"He meant well." Shego reminded herself, her mind returning from its replay of the decades-old events. That was what really gnawed at her. Hego had simply been too stupid to realize what might happen to Alex. Shego didn't have that excuse: she'd simply lacked the courage to stand by her friend.

"Okay, you stupid bitch: you have to get up." Shego berated herself and swung her legs off the bed. Wallowing in past mistakes really _wasn't_ going to help her focus for the day's tasks. "There's still time to go wake Vincent and kick him around the gym for a while." That was always therapeutic.

* * *

"Target sighted, boss. She's just turned into the street." Lynn's voice was crystal clear from the tiny speaker, but Shego still had to fight the urge to touch her hand to her ear every time she heard it.

"I see her. Everything check out?"

"Reception from your mike is perfect, and the cameras are on the café like you asked. Go get her, boss."

Shego angled through the marketplace, deftly avoiding the milling crowd of customers as she honed in on her target. The young woman was moving leisurely from stall to stall as he did every day, buying her household's groceries. Without electricity for refrigeration, fresh produce wouldn't keep long in Veligrua's humidity and heat: the daily visit to the market was the most predictable and reliable part of the target's routine.

"Maria!" Shego called as she drew close to the target. "Maria Mendes! Ha sido demasiado largo!" She hoped she hadn't butchered the pronunciation too badly.

The woman turned, her expression at first curious, then startled and concerned when she saw someone she was sure she didn't know. Shego didn't give her time to protest, instead sweeping the Veligruan woman into a vigorous embrace.

"I'm a friend of Kim's." She whispered in English into Maria's ear. "Just pretend like we're old friends who've met by accident."

This was the critical moment. There were any number of things that could go wrong. Mendes might know who Shego really was. Or she might simply panic at the unexpected confrontation. Shego had no control over the first problem, and was relying on the public location and bustle of the market to help with the second. A crowd meant Maria could call for help if she needed it, which would help her remain calm.

"Mi amigo! Cómo ha sido usted?"

Jean-Pierre's voice immediately cut in on the ear-piece, giving her a translation.

"My friend. How are you?"

"Bueno. Bueno." Shego could manage that answer herself. As she released the embrace, she whispered. "Can we sit at the café and talk? I have news from Kim."

Maria nodded, and Shego led her to the table she'd reserved for this purpose, knowing that Lynn's cameras would have a clear view of their conversation. A waiter came over immediately.

"I'm sorry, but my Spanish is not that good." The green woman told Maria. "Can you order a coffee and a sandwich for me?"

The mundane request seemed to calm Maria a little, and she quickly filled the order. Nonetheless, sat perched on the very edge of her chair, her expression a little too calm to be natural. When the waiter was gone, she immediately spoke. "May I ask you something, before we say anything more?"

"Of course."

"Are you the woman called Shego?"

"You've heard of me." Shego carefully kept her own expression as blank as Maria's. It was easier for her than for the Veligruan woman: she'd had more practice at lying, and she wasn't sitting across the table from an internationally renowned criminal. Still, she'd have to handle this delicately.

"You are the green woman who can make fire with her hands. There have been stories of you for many years. Did you really fight aliens?"

"Twice, yeah. Trust me, I've seen weirder stuff than people from other planets."

"... I thought you were Kim's enemy?"

"For a long time, I was." Shego began cautiously. "But we worked together on both the alien things. And one or two other cases over the years."

Maria did not look convinced.

"And now you are helping her? I thought you were a thief, not a hero?"

"You thought right." Shego grinned easily, then raised a placating hand when Maria flushed. "Look, I'll be honest with you. I'm helping Princess with her little crusade for selfish reasons."

"I don't understand."

"It's self-interest to not want to be in jail, right?" Shego waited for Maria's answering nod. "Well, Kim's the only person who has ever managed to put me in there. If she's busy saving the world from despots and dictators, she doesn't have the time to chase honest thieves like me. And while she's at large, people who might chase me are chasing her, instead. So I do her a favor every once in a while."

Maria didn't comment, but her expression remained skeptical.

"Trust me, it works out for both of us." Shego was warming to her fiction. "Take the current situation. Somebody offered me a lot of money to hunt Kimmie –"

"You're hunting Kim?" Maria hissed, half-rising from her seat.

"_Relax_." Shego gently caught the other woman's hand. "I never said I was actually doing it."

The Veligruan woman paused, trying to read Shego's expression.

"So you told them no?"

"I told them yes, but I was lying." Shego sighed at the disbelieving look in Maria's eyes. Being convincingly sincere was hard work. "It was a lot of money. If I'd turned it down, they might have wondered why. So I said yes, and in a few months I'll tell them I failed and ask for more time. Meanwhile, both Kimmie and I will be free to go about our business."

"So you're just in Veligrua to talk to me?" The disbelief was clear.

"Of course not. But I'm also not here to hunt Kimmie. Actually, my real reason for being here is to steal some works of art." The best way to make a story convincing was to put as much truth in it as possible, and she _did_ have plans for the artwork in the villa. "This way, I'll be able to do it without anyone hunting me, because they think I'm after Princess."

"You really are a common thief." Maria's tone was cold.

"Thief, yes. Common? No." Shego grinned disarmingly. "Look, I just came to see you as a favor to Kim. If you don't want to hear the message, it's no skin – green or otherwise – off my nose."

Slowly, Maria sat. She opened her mouth to say something, but the waiter arrived with two coffees and Shego's sandwich. Only after he had left did she pose her question.

"Is it safe to be talking here?"

"I wouldn't have approached you if it wasn't." Shego gestured at the crowded street. "Too much background noise for parabolic microphones. They'd need one planted right on us to hear what we say." One like Shego's.

Maria nodded slowly.

"Why did Kim send you?"

"Instead of coming herself, you mean? Her last mission got a little messy. She was injured –" Shego saw the look of alarm on the other woman's face and hastened to calm her. "- nothing serious. She just needed a few days to recuperate, and didn't want you to think she was ignoring you."

"That was kind of her. I wasn't sure if she would even respond to my note."

"She'll come see you as soon as she can." Shego assured the other woman with total honesty. After all, bringing Kim to Maria was the whole point of this little meeting. "But she doesn't know when that will be."

Maria nodded, her expression breaking into a smile for the first time in the conversation. Silently, Shego exulted. _That_ was the perfect picture for luring Kimmie into doing something stupid.

The two women chatted for a few minutes more as they finished their coffees and Shego devoured her sandwich. Kicking Vincent's ass had worked up an appetite.

After Maria departed, the green woman leaned back in her chair and muttered into her microphone.

"Tell me you got the shot of her smiling."

"You know it, boss." Lynn's reply sounded as exultant as Shego herself. "We got _lots_ of great stuff. You were totally convincing. If I didn't know better I'd have believed you myself. _Fer-eaky_."

Shego fought back the urge to roll her eyes at the white-hair woman's over-used catchphrase.

"Meet me back at the villa with a shortlist of pictures. We'll pick the best half-dozen and put them up on the In-Terror-Net, with some kind of post like 'does anyone know who the chick with Shego is?'."

"You're sure Possible will be keeping tabs on the In-Terror-Net, boss?"

"If she wasn't before, she will be since Orlando. It's what I'd do in her place."

"And she'll really come to help this dy – this girl? It didn't sound like they knew each other that well."

"Trust me. Kimmie can't help but be a hero. When she sees those photos, she'll come running. And we'll be waiting."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I have Rojo's entire back-story worked out: why Kim wanted a naked mole rat, why she chose him in particular, the reason for his name, why he speaks Spanish (despite understanding English perfectly) and thinks he's a luchadore. I'm hoping that there'll be a natural point in the story for it to be explained ... I guess we'll see.

Updates will be slower now than they were initially. I was on holidays last week, and now I am back at work. Plus, I have some non-Fanfic writing deadlines to meet.

Next chapter: Kim wants to go on the offensive, but is she just walking into Shego's trap?


	8. Showdown with Shego

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref: **0013

**Name: **Dr Drakken

**Known Aliases: **Dr D, Drew Theodore Lipsky, Radio's Best Listener

**Relation to Suspect:** Previous arch-foe; reformed

**Location:** Chicago, IL

**Interrogation: **Subject denies all knowledge of suspects current whereabouts and declares any suggestion he might care is 'wack'.

**Biography:** One time would be world-conqueror. One of the suspect's most frequent adversaries during the first four years of her career. Employer of Shego (PI Ref 0006) during this period. Aided suspect in defeating Lorwardian Invasion (Case Ref ALIENS-07-003). Received full pardon, but returned to plans of world conquest. Defeated by suspect on several subsequent occasions. Career ended when accidentally exposed to his own brain washing shampoo while being told 'you'd be better off if you actually worked on radio like you tell your mother'. Now the host of a highly-rated talkback show on WDTL-9.

**Surveillance:** Full time surveillance undertaken for 2 months. No indication of contact with the suspect.

**Recommendation:** Terminate surveillance. No risk of contact with suspect.

* * *

A younger Kim Possible might have said 'This is so the drama'. Now she was twenty-seven, she had stronger words at her disposal. She bit them down as she stared at the photos and Maria and Shego. The Veligruan woman was smiling, her hand resting on the top of Shego's forearm.

"Malo." Rojo remarked softly, having scampered up to her shoulder to look at the tiny screen.

"Yeah, Rojo ... it's bad." Kim agreed absently, reaching up with her free hand to tickle the mole rat's stomach. He chortled involuntarily, then nuzzled the side of her face, letting her know he was there for her. "What I don't know yet is how bad." She frowned, then deliberately smoothed her expression and calmed her breathing. She'd left Global Justice behind, but a lot of their training and techniques had stayed with her. She needed to apply one such technique now: talk out the possible scenarios, and analyze each as calmly as she could.

"Hypothesis one." She said once she felt ready. "Maria lied to me. She was working with Shego all along."

Rojo made a rude noise and shook his head. A grinned flickered on Kim's lips.

"Well, at least that's one answer that doesn't need translation. I agree. Shego would have had to know I was going to attack the wagon Maria was in, and _I_ didn't even know that until a few hours before it happened." Kim shook her head. "Besides, Shego's a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of them. She's not sloppy enough to meet a contact so openly."

Kim didn't speak the third reason she discounted the option: she'd liked Maria, and believed what the other woman had told her. It wasn't _impossible_ she'd been duped, but she thought she was a better judge of character than that.

"Hypothesis two: What Maria told me was true, but Shego has somehow learned that Maria met me, and is attempting to subvert or coerce her. How would Shego learn that information? Or why not simply kidnap Maria and force her to reveal what she knows? And again: why meet in public?" Kim frowned. The pictures of the two woman had been crystal clear. Whoever took them was well positioned and had plenty of time. Surely Shego would have noticed surveillance? "Can't be absolutely ruled out, but highly unlikely."

"Hypothesis three: This meeting is unrelated to me. Shego and Maria are in contact for some other reason." Kim frowned and cocked her head, trying to think of what other reasons there might be. "Shego may have another job she's working on. But what could Maria offer her? Could the meeting be personal? Is Shego gay?" The redhead's eyes widened slightly at the question she'd just asked herself. Shego had made several statements to the contrary, but the green woman was not above lying. "Even if Shego is gay, I don't think Maria would cheat on Lucia. And Veligrua is not the place for two women to go out on public dates."

The redhead sighed and closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind. She was tensing up, trying to force a solution. She needed to be calm.

"Shego must have had some reason for meeting Maria. The strange thing is the place she did it. In broad daylight, without disguises. And apparently right under the nose of a photographer."

Kim smiled slightly. Pieces were beginning to fit into place.

"Hypothesis four: Shego found out that Maria has met me, and she wants me to know that she knows." Kim cocked her head to one side, considering the possibility. "The weak point is that I still don't know how Shego could know about Maria. But obviously she does, or they wouldn't have met. If I accept that, then the location of their meeting makes sense."

The one time teen hero gnawed on her lower lip, trying to understand the green woman's actions.

"She's letting me know she's a threat to Maria. Why? She has to know I won't ..." Kim trailed off.

"Qué?" Rojo demanded, spreading his paws.

"Shego knows I won't let her hurt Maria." The redhead said with confidence. "She's daring me to stop her."

"Loco." The mole rat was emphatic.

"Do you mean her or me?" Kim teased. "That's what this is about, Rojo. Shego's setting a trap for me, and Maria's the bait. She knows I can't ignore this." The redhead tapped her communicator's display. "She knows I have to go."

"Trampa!" Rojo's reminder was testy.

"Yes, little scamp, I know it's a trap. I still have to go."

* * *

"We are all set, Boss. If Possible turns up to save her little lesbo, we'll know all about it." Lynn gestured at the ranks of monitors she'd set up in the villa's media room. They showed dozens of views of Maria's home, all with her usual triple redundances.

"She'll come, Lynn. She's Kim Possible. She can't do anything else."

Lynn scowled and tugged at the single red tuft in her otherwise white hair.

"And the plan is really to just let her waltz in and get them all out?"

Shego suppressed a sigh. Lynn was usually the smartest of her crew, but the electronics expert had been in an uncooperative mood ever since Orlando.

"We let her 'waltz in' and start getting them out. Then, once Princess has four other people to try and protect, I'll come in and take her down. She can't watch out for all those other people and fight at full efficiency."

"I still don't get why we don't just take them hostage to begin with and make her come to us." Lyn sulked.

"How did that plan work out for you when _you_ tried it?" Shego's patience, never a plentiful commodity, had run dry. Lynn flushed at the jibe, her mouth pulling down into a hard line.

"That was a long time ago, boss. I've learned a few things since then."

"Doy. You think Kimmie hasn't?"

The pale woman learned just how much Kim Possible had learned when the ceiling suddenly exploded above them.

The former teen hero swooped down through the hole as debris rained down in the room, smashing several of Lynn's monitors. The white-haired woman dived for cover under one of the desks, uttering an F-word that for once was not her usual cry of "Fer-eaky".

Shego cursed as well, sweeping a plasma-lit hand to blast away the shrapnel that flew in her direction.

"Nice entrance, Cupcake. At least you've saved me the trouble of looking for you." The dark-haired woman hurled a blast of green flame, but Kim barrel-rolled beneath it, looped around, and kicked one of the flat-screen monitors straight at Shego's face. The green woman vaporized the monitor in mid-air, ignoring the squawk from Lynn as more of her equipment was destroyed.

Kim dropped to the ground with one last flare of the Peregrine suit's jetpack, the metal gloves and boots of combat mode already in place.

"You threatened my friend, Shego." The redhead spoke calmly. "Maybe you thought I'd try to get her away from you. I decided to get you away from her, instead."

"You're welcome to try, Princess." Shego dropped into a defensive crouch as she analyzed the battle field. The media room was large, though not large enough for Kimmie to make much use of the Peregrine suit's flight mode. Still, with all the fragments of tiles, computer equipment and other debris on the floor, footing was going to be treacherous, and the redhead's jetpack meant she could to some extent avoid that problem. Advantage Kimmie, she reluctantly admitted to herself.

Still, a fight indoors was better than a fight outdoors, where the Peregrine suit's aerial capabilities would have counted for more.

"I'm going to do more than try." Kim sprang forward. Shego instinctively tried for a throw, seeking to use the redhead's momentum against her, but Kim moved faster than she expected: the green woman failed to catch her opponent's arm, and instead took a stinging blow across her ear.

Kim raced across the room, twisting her body at the last moment so as to somersault off the wall. Plaster cracked and flaked from the impact, and Shego caught the pale glare of the jetpack engines.

"Using the jetpack for a little extra speed, Pumpkin? Never picked you for a cheat." Silently, Shego grudgingly admitted that the former hero was cleverer than she'd expected.

"All's fair in love and war, Shego." Kim took another swipe at the green woman, but this time Shego was prepared for the last minute acceleration. She grabbed the redhead by the shoulder and fell backwards, planting one boot in the younger woman's stomach and flipping her toward Lynn's pile of electronics.

Kim crashed into the bank of computers and monitors, sending several of them cascading to the floor around a still cowering Lynn. But the Kevlar weave of the redhead's suit protected her from most of the impact, and she nipped back to her feet within moments.

"I underestimated you, Princess." Shego admitted, kicking a piece of debris away as she spoke. "Keep this up and you may _deserve_ your 'most wanted' status."

Kim looked annoyed.

"That's why you're hunting me and threatening my friends? You're _jealous_?"

"Please." Shego waved off the suggestion, inching sideways to flick another piece of rubble away with her toe. "I have five hundred million reasons to hunt you."

"Sounds to me like it's five hundred million and _one_."

The pale woman suppressed a snarl. She'd nearly cleared the space around her feet of debris, giving her a secure space in which to fight. She just had to delay Kim's next attack for a few seconds longer so she could finish the job.

"So how did you plant the nanobombs without setting off the motion sensors?" She asked, keeping her voice casual.

Kim chuckled.

"As your electronics expert could tell you, motion sensors are set to ignore anything below a certain size limit. Otherwise they'd go off every time a bird flew past."

"So?" Shego asked the question instinctively, then sighed as the realized the answer. "The goddamn mole rat again."

"Rojo doesn't like it when you take the Lord's name in vain."

The green woman was just about to tell Kimmie where she could stick her deformed pet when a more effective response came to mind.

"Lynn! Hurry up and shoot the bitch already!"

_**BLAM! BLAM!**_

Lynn's first bullet, fired blind through the desk atop her, punched a hole in the wood about two inches from Kim's foot. The second, whether from recoil or simple inaccuracy of the weapon, clipped the side of the redhead's armored foot. The impact fractured a bone, while the bullet itself ricocheted upward, sheer chance causing it to slam through the fleshy part of Kim's upper arm. The former teen hero half-choked, half-screamed, nearly falling from the desk as the pain and shock hit her. For an instant, she was wide open to attack.

But the green woman's words had been meant as pure bluff. Shego didn't let her people carry guns. Guns made her shoulders itch. So when the sub-nosed 9mm appeared in Lynn's hand, Shego was caught by surprise. Her tensed legs locked up, keeping her from the leap she had intended to make. Kim's moment of vulnerability passed.

The redhead jumped down from the desk, landing with only the slightest wobble. The Peregine suit was already sealing over her wounds and pumping fast-acting painkillers into her foot and her arm. She dropped low, scooping up a roof tile and spinning to hurl it at Lynn, who still lay on her back beneath the desk.

Kim's aim was slightly off. She'd meant to strike the white-haired woman's wrist. Instead the tile slammed into Lynn's fingers, breaking at least one of them. It didn't change the end result: Lynn dropped the weapon, and the redhead swept it away with her foot, sending the automatic skidding into the furthest corner of the room.

Shego, finally recovering from her shock, leapt at the former teen hero. But the redhead sensed the green woman's movement and rolled aside, then delivered a stunning kick to the side of the older woman's head. Off balance from her leap, Shego couldn't dodge the blow, though she did manage to twist her head away so that some of the force was dissipated. Even so, she saw stars for a few seconds after the blow.

The green woman rolled away and blindly hurled some debris at Kim, just wanting to keep the redhead away for long enough to clear her head. It was important to keep Princess off balance, physically and mentally.

"Jeez, Kimmie, I'm starting to think you don't like –" Shego's eyes locked with those of the former teen hero, and all thoughts of her next quip were lost. It had been ten years since she'd last seen that look on the redhead's face, but it wasn't one she ever expected to forget. Having an entire tower fall on you tended to do that.

"I'm giving you _one_ chance, Shego." The roundhouse kick struck the green woman high in the chest. A lancing pain told the green woman that at least one rib had fractured, then she was tumbling through the rubble, knocked flying by the impact. Hitting the far wall with a thud, she pushed off it to try and stand.

"Give up chasing me." A blow struck the pale woman's temple, threatening to send her into unconsciousness.

"Leave my friends alone." In her dazed state, Shego wasn't sure if the blow to her leg came from a foot or a fist. She tried to fight through the pain. She still had her plasma powers. She just had to clear her mind enough to focus.

"Go back to being a cockroach, hiding in the dark." A kick – definitely a kick – to her shoulder. The impact flopped Shego onto her back. Kim was standing over her.

"Because if you don't –"

She had a clear shot at the redhead. All she had to do was focus. Ignore the pain. Green flame flickered around her fingers.

"- I will crush you like one." Kim's steel-clad foot slammed down on the green woman's hand. Bones dislocated. Plasma flames winked out.

Kim Possible gave Shego one last, contemptuous look, and then soared upward through the hole in the roof.

The green woman gasped for air, then slowly and gingerly rolled to her knees, cradling her damaged hand against her chest. Wincing with pain, she took stock of her condition.

"You just got your ass well and truly kicked." She admitted to herself. The hand was the worst of her injuries. She'd need a cast on it for at least a few days. Her leg and shoulder were sore, but nothing seemed broken or fractured. She was going to have the black eye to end all black eyes, though, and it felt like there was blood seeping from her ear. Her hearing seemed okay, though, so it was probably just a tear in the skin.

The sound of movement behind her reminded Shego of Lynn, and what the white-haired woman had done. Her mouth twisted in anger.

"You had a goddamn _gun_?" she demanded.

"Yes."

The answer was monosyllabic, but something about the other woman's tone sent a crawling sensation down Shego's spine. She turned her head.

Lynn stood on the opposite side of the now-wrecked media room, the pistol now clenched in her uninjured left hand ... and pointed right at Shego.

"Put that down before I –"

_**BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Lynn has turned on Shego! But why? It's a good thing she's a villain. They love to spout exposition about their motives. But that's for next chapter. :-)

A tip of the hat goes to Etherelemental for figuring out Kim's response to Shego's ploy. And for those wondering if this will be a 'long' fic: the exact chapter count isn't decided (I have an outline, but scenes may get cut or added) but I'd expect at least 10 more.


	9. Betrayal and Sacrifice

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0006

**Name:** Shego

**Known Aliases:** Shannon Edwards, The Green Bitch, The Most Dangerous Woman in the World

**Relation to Suspect:** Nemesis

**Location:** Unknown; believed to move regularly

**Interrogation: **All attempts at apprehension and interrogation have met with failure.

**Biography:** Received superpowers (plasma generation, enhanced agility and resilience) from a comet approximately 22 years ago. Member of Team Go (PI Ref 0030) for six years, before turning mercenary. Employed for seven years as a sidekick and bodyguard for would-be world conqueror Dr Drakken (PI Ref 0013). Regular antagonist and principal physical opponent of the suspect during this time. Commenced independent operations upon Drakken's reform. Widely considered one of the world's best thieves and martial artists. World's 2nd Most Wanted Woman.

**Surveillance:** Unable to perform ongoing surveillance.

**Recommendation:** Long time adversary of suspect. Use a thief to catch a thief.

* * *

On her feet and healthy, Shego could have dodged the shots. Even injured, on her knees and off balance, she twisted far enough that one of the three bullets missed her completely. The second struck her hip, deflecting off the bone and punching out through the front of her thigh.

It was the last bullet that did the damage. It slammed into the green woman just below the back of her ribcage, and only an inch to the left of her spine, then pierced one of her lungs and exited from her torso. The impact spun her around, and she fell forward on her face, gasping as white hot pain gave way to a dull, cold ache and numbness began to steal into her limbs.

"How the mighty have fallen." Lynn stepped forward, a sneer distorting her features.

"Why?" Shego tried to push herself up, and when that failed, half-rolled so she could at least look the other woman in the face.

"Fame and fortune, _what the hell else_!?" Lynn gave a manic grin as waved the handgun. Her voice dropped, the words tumbling over themselves in a vindictive stream. "It's your own fault, you stupid, arrogant bitch. When you said my share of the reward would buy this place five times over I really started to think about what I was doing. And you know what I realized?"

"Do ... tell." Shego panted, tasting the iron and salt of blood seep into her mouth. She wasn't sure how much longer she could stay conscious, but if she could just coax Lynn closer, she might manage a little payback.

"I could help you catch Kim Possible ... assuming you could actually beat her, and that's doesn't look very likely now, does it? ... and get five percent of the reward and none of the fame. I could go on as just an employee, getting my ass chewed off despite all but giving you Possible on a platter ..." Lynn scowled. "Having you treat me like I wasn't good enough to shine your boots, when _you_ were the one who couldn't the job done ... or I could see if anyone was willing to pay for your hide instead, and keep _all_ of the reward and _all_ of the fame. I could be the star again. All I needed was someone with money and a grudge. And 'boss' -" she chuckled at the word, "- the Veligruan government _hates_ you."

"Global ... Justice ... amnesty."

"Wise up. The Veligruans were _never_ happy about that. And when I played them the recording of you telling that little dyke that you were just here for a robbery and were actually in league with Possible ... well, they were willing to pay through the nose for your head." The white-haired woman cocked her own head to the side and laughed at the filthy look Shego gave you. "I told you, boss. You were so convincing that even I almost believed you. The Veligruans swallowed it all."

"You ... tried to kill ... Kimmie."

"Well of course I did. I'd rather get paid for both of you. But one thing tonight showed: you aren't ever going to beat that woman. And I figured I'd never get a better opportunity than now. So I'll just take the fifty million for you." Lynn pointed the 9mm at Shego's face. "Goodbye, boss."

* * *

Kim instinctively swerved as she heard the three shots ring out, but then realized that the sounds were too muffled for the shots to be directed at her - they must have come from inside.

"Who the hell is shooting?" she wondered aloud, checking her flight. Conflicting impulses warred within her. She needed to get Maria and the others out of town in case Shego acted against them.

"Damn it." The redhead turned and swooped back to the villa. She couldn't just ignore what she'd heard. Soaring over the roof, she saw two burly figures rush across the villa courtyard. A quick flick of her wrist sent a grenade bursting between the pair, and they tumbled bonelessly to the ground as a thick cloud of knock-out gas billowed up around them.

Kim considered cutting the jetpack engines and creeping across the roof to the gaping hole her nanobombs had made, but one look at the broken beams and shattered tiles dissuaded her from that course of action. Instead she dialed the jetpack's power down until she was only just drifting through the air, the ultra-efficient turbines barely making a sound.

After all the stealth of her approach, Kim nearly gave herself away the very moment she peered into the room. Shego lay sprawled in a thick puddle of dark red blood. For a moment the former teen hero couldn't even process what she was seeing. The idea that what she was seeing was coming from inside Shego ... the red looked all wrong on a woman with whom she'd only ever associated the colors of green and black.

Barely stifling a gasp of shock, the redhead stared down at Shego and the white-haired woman who stood over her. Had Shego's own sidekick shot her? Why would she do that?

"- willing to pay handsomely for your head. I told you, boss. You were so convincing that even I almost believed you. The Veligruans swallowed it all."

"You ... tried to kill ... Kimmie." Shego gasped out the sentence in segments, each one requiring a labored breath.

"Well of course I did. I'd rather get paid for both of you. But one thing tonight showed: you aren't ever going to beat that woman. So I'll just take the fifty million for you. Goodbye, boss." The white-haired woman raised the gun in her hand and pointed it directly at Shego.

Kim didn't even think. She snatched her walking stick from the loop on her belt and hurled it, spear-like, down from above. The stick struck the top of the gun's barrel, knocking it down and to the left. Shards flew from the marble tiles as the bullet missed Shego by inches, burying itself in the floor.

"What the -!?" the white-haired woman span, hand snapping up toward the ceiling, gun searching for a target who was no longer there.

Kim cut the jetpack engines and plummeted to the floor, flipping herself over to land in a handstand, then catapulting head over heels toward the white-haired woman. Lynn barely even saw the steel boots that slammed into her face.

The redhead felt her target go limp from the blow, and tucked herself into a forward roll, ending in a crouch. Lynn was sprawled on her back, arms flung out. Kim kicked the handgun across the room and checked the white-haired woman's pulse.

"You kill ... the bitch?"

"She'll live, Shego. I think I broke her jaw though."

" Least ... she won't be ... saying 'freaky' ... for a while." Shego laughed weakly, the sound quickly giving way to sodden coughing.

"Shut up and lie still." Kim instructed her long-time enemy. "I need to get you to a hospital."

"In ... Veligrua? Never ... come back out." Shego shook her head. "Besides ... won't make it. Can't ... stop bleeding."

Kim bit her lip, realizing that the green woman was right. Shego was losing a lot of blood. It needed to be staunched immediately if there was to be any chance of saving the older woman's life.

Save Shego? Was that actually something she wanted to do? Kim felt ashamed for even asking herself the question.

"No compromises." Kim reminded herself, pushing the green woman's hands aside to survey the wound. Shego tried to resist, but simply didn't have the strength.

"Too late ... Princess."

"I thought I told you to shut up?" The redhead fought to keep a tremor from her voice. The wound was bad. Really bad. Sancho had some medical gear she could use, but it would take over an hour to fly that far. Shego might not live that long. The green woman needed attention immediately. Drugs to fight the onset of shock. Something to stop the bleeding.

Kim didn't have anything like that. The redhead fought back tears as she stared helplessly the blood on her steel-gloved hands.

Her steel-gloved hands.

"Idiot." She snarled at herself. "_Idiot_."

She sub-vocalized a series of numbers, nearly stumbling over them in her haste. The numbers were the emergency shut-down code for her Peregrine suit. Within seconds of her completing the sequence, the backpack fell from Kim's back, landing on the floor with a clatter. The polymers of the costume rippled, then the cloth retracted all over her body, disappearing into the metal torc at her neck and the cuffs on her ankles and wrists.

"Giving me ... one last show ... Kimmie?"

Now clad only in her sports bra and boy shorts - and feeling glad for Veligrua's tropical climate - the redhead did not reply to Shego's attempt at banter. She unsnapped the cuffs, locking them each in turn on the green woman's limbs, then undid the clasp of the torc and clipped it around Shego's neck.

"Shego!" she slapped the older woman lightly on the cheek, then forced open Shego's eyes with her finger-tips. "Repeat after me: Activate code one eight niner six."

"Wha ..."

"Do it, Shego!"

"Activate ... code ..."

"One eight niner six."

"One ... eight ... niner ... six."

The Peregrine suit sprang into action, extruding over the green woman's body, and covering the catsuit she already wore. The instant the Peregrine suit was complete, the nano-machine circuitry began analyzing the injuries of the new wearer. Micro-needles administered drugs. Polymer seals extruded over wounds, sealing them and preventing further bleeding.

Shego went limp. Kim anxiously checked for a pulse, and gave a weary smile when she found one, weak though it was. The Peregrine suit was designed to keep its wearer alive for as long as possible. It was the best help she could offer the older woman until she got to Sancho.

That left only the matter of how to get there. She thought she could just about manage Shego's weight, and she knew the jetpack could carry them both, though it would be much less maneuverable without the suit interface to control it. Even in Veligrua's balmy climate, however, a high speed flight in just her underwear was not a good idea.

The redhead's glance fell on the still unconscious Lynn. The white-haired woman wore only a thin shirt and slacks. They wouldn't be much help against the cold.

"Outside!" Kim snapped her fingers and ran to the two men she'd gassed in the courtyard, nearly shouting with excitement when she saw that the one on the left was wearing a leather jacket. She rolled him out of it and slipped the jacket on, the difference in their sizes meaning that the garment came down below her knees.

It would do. Now she just had to get to Sancho, and try not to think about what she would do if Shego's injuries were as bad as they looked.

* * *

"How is she doing?" Kim asked, keeping her arms crossed and hands fisted, to stop from fidgeting.

Sancho shook his head wearily. They stood in a small cabin on the outskirts of Porto Pez. From the exterior, the building seemed unremarkable, as did the man who owned it. Dug out beneath the cabin, however, was a cellar filled with equipment - medical and otherwise - gathered by Sancho and his people in their resistance to General Harker's regime. Kim had stumbled across the cache when she was first trying to make contact with Sancho's people. She'd browbeaten him into meeting her there when she flew in with Shego. The green woman now lay below, still clad in the Peregrine suit, but now hooked up to the best equipment they had ... though how much difference it would make, Kim didn't know.

"I am not a medical expert." He warned her. "And this woman's condition is very bad. The Peregrine suit has kept her alive this long, and I can help with her breathing, at least until my supply of oxygen runs out. But without better equipment, all I can do is delay the inevitable."

"What does she need?"

"Dame Quixote -"

"Don't try to talk me out of it, Sancho." Kim cut off the objections she knew were coming. "Just tell me what you think she needs."

"A proper hospital, for one. Her lung is damaged. She needs surgery."

"Anything else?"

"Yes. And this is the big one: she's lost a lot of blood. She needs a transfusion, urgently. I've got a little synthetic plasma, but that's only good for a temporary period before the body will reject it."

"How long have we got to find it?"

"Less than a day. Maybe twenty hours, but probably more like sixteen." Sancho sighed. "But Kim ... this woman is green. Even if I knew her blood type - which I don't - I can't be sure if ordinary human blood would work for her."

Kim looked at the floor.

"What about family?" She asked at last.

"Well, there would be a good chance of a match within most families ... but with her mutation ..."

"Her brothers also have powers. They all got them at the same time, from the same source."

Sancho shrugged helplessly.

"If anyone could be a suitable donor, it should be one of them. But I don't know what the chances would be."

Kim took a deep breath, then nodded.

"You're saying no guarantees?"

"None at all."

"But there's a chance."

"Yes ... but not a good one, I think."

"It's still a chance. I'll call her brothers."

"I do not think this is wise. We do not know if they can get here in time -"

"They can. They have a personal jet. It even has a medical bay in it. We'll need that for the transfusion."

"- or even _if_ they will come."

"They'll come. They're heroes. And she's their sister."

"You'll have to tell them your location! Global Justice could intercept the message!"

Kim nodded.

"They probably will. That's why you have to get your people and everything that's not needed to keep Shego alive out of here as soon as you can. I'll stay with her."

"Dame ..." Sancho stopped and shook his head. "Kim. I do not know why you care so much about the life of this woman, but what you propose to do ... it is crazy! You would sacrifice your freedom - probably your life - for the person who hunted you?"

"I would, if it comes to that." Kim looked her friend in the eye. "I left Global Justice because I couldn't accept the compromises they had to make. 'We'll let these people die so we can save these others over here'." She gestured as she spoke. "Shego and I are enemies. But I can't make the decision that my life is more important than hers."

"It is."

"Would you say the same if it was one of your sons down there?"

"No, but my sons are good men. This woman ..."

"Saved my life."

Sancho blinked.

"_She_ saved you?"

"At least twice." Kim shook her head. "And that's me personally. She also saved the world. And she was a hero for six years before that. For all the bad things she's tried to do, there's more good she's actually achieved."

"How much of her evil would have gone unstopped were it not for you?"

"That's something we can never know." The response sounded weak, even to Kim, so she continued. "... without help, Shego _will_ die. If I call for that help, I _might_ be captured. That's something I'm willing to risk ... in fact, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't risk it."

"... you will not listen to reason, will you?"

Kim managed a chuckle, though it sounded strained.

"If I listened to that kind of 'reason', I'd still be at Global Justice. I'm going to make the call now, Sancho. You need to get your people and your gear out of here before company arrives."

* * *

**Author's Note: **If you've been reading the POI files, you'll know that GJ are indeed monitoring Team Go's communications. That doesn't sound good for Kim. How will Betty Director and Global Justice respond?

I've tried to give Kim's decision some context here, since I think it needs it, but it's a conversation she'll have in more detail later, with the person most affected by it, so I haven't tried to be exhaustive.


	10. Director's Decision

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0007

**Name:** Dr Director

**Known Aliases:** Elizabeth Director, Betty Director, The Iron Lady

**Relation to Suspect:** Former superior

**Location:** Global Justice Headquarters

**Interrogation: **Subject willingly undertook lie detector test as part of interrogation. Disavowed all prior knowledge of the suspect's actions or intentions. Expressed personal sympathy with suspect's motives, but professional disapproval of suspect's decisions. Reiterated dedication to Global Justice and to rapid capture of suspect.

**Biography:** Criminal Justice doctorate, Law School graduate, former Olympic level long-distance runner. Recruited by Global Justice at age 20, serving seventeen years in the field and an additional sixteen in senior executive positions. Currently Chief of Operations for Global Justice. Most highly decorated agent in Global Justice history. Seriously injured in the course of duty (including the loss of one eye) eleven times. Twin sister to Gemini (PI Ref 0035).

**Surveillance:** Personal and electronic surveillance provided for two weeks in case of contact by suspect. Security detail included in case of danger to subject from suspect. No evidence of contact with the suspect. Subject has declined offer of continuing security detail.

**Recommendation:** Discontinue surveillance.

**Additional Note:** _GJ Governing Council Eyes Only_. Subject displays some degree of personal loyalty to suspect. This is a potential threat to the investigation and to Global Justice as a whole. Continue electronic surveillance on an unofficial basis.

* * *

"Doctor Elizabeth Director, you have been summoned to this hearing to respond to charges of insubordination, gross dereliction of duty, and for disobeying a lawful order." The sallow-skinned man in the gray suit spoke in a flat monotone, his eyes seemingly fixed on a point two feet to Betty's left.

Betty, crisply attired in her full dress uniform, stared straight ahead as the man continued.

"This is not a trial. It will not determine whether or not your actions were legal. This is not a court martial. Global Justice is not a military organization. However, this hearing _will_ adjudicate your guilt or innocence of the charges, and in the event you are found guilty, will determine your punishment according to Global Justice regulations. Such punishment may include incarceration in a Global Justice facility. Do you understand these conditions?"

"I ought to. I wrote the rulebook you're quoting."

"Please answer yes or no, Doctor Director."

"Yes, I understand."

The man nodded and stepped away. Betty stood in the center of a circular chamber. A row of seats ringed the outer wall, but all were empty. To her left, the sallow-skinned man – the official clerk for the proceedings – took his set at the stenographer's station. Doctor Director swept her stare up to high bench in front of her, behind which sat three figures. Those on the left and right either lacked the temerity to stare back, or had the decency to look away. Ruth Lees, sitting in the middle, had temerity to spare and – as far as Betty could tell – no decency to speak of.

Lees leaned back in her chair, tapping briefly on then keyboard before her.

"Doctor Director, it states here that you have waived the right to counsel. Is that correct?"

Betty smiled grimly. Others in the room might have a vested interest in maintaining the illusion of proper process, but she had no illusions about the outcome and thus nothing to lose from speaking the truth.

"Since we all know that the outcome of this little farce has already been determined, I saw no reason to tarnish another officer's career by involving them in this charade."

"You will restrict your answers to 'yes' or 'no', Ms Director."

Betty's eye narrowed at the deliberate omission of her title.

"The regulations specify no such limitation." She replied icily. If the Governing Council was going to insist on trying to legitimize their persecution with procedure, then she would shove that procedure back down their throats.

Lees's thin lips compressed into a tight, pale line, and when she spoke again, there was more of an edge to her words.

"Your current attitude certainly leads credence to the charge of insubordination, Ms Director. Nonetheless, I am required to ask you: how do you plead?"

"Not guilty on all charges." Betty's words turned Lees's harsh-lipped scowl into an equally thin half-smile. Doctor Director kept her own face impassive. She knew that expression meant her sentence would be the harshest possible, but she would rather be damned than surrender.

"Very well, Ms Director. We will begin the hearing with an account of how you learned Kim Possible's whereabouts. Are you prepared to give a statement before we view the video archive?"

"Only that these proceedings make a mockery of the name Global _Justice_."

"You will confine your remarks to the details of the events as they occurred." Lees said sharply. "As you are no doubt aware, Ms Director, the regulations _do_ specify that limitation."

"I have no statement at this time."

Lees nodded smugly, and gestured to the clerk.

"Play the first recording."

The man nodded as he cued the room's projector, his clipped monotone carefully noting the details of what they were about to see.

"Video archive from the office of Doctor Elizabeth Director. Recorded 1:01am local time, September 3rd, 2017."

* * *

Doctor Director was just completing what she hoped was the last batch of paperwork for the day when the intercom on her desk gave a shrill buzz. The high-pitched sound meant an urgent message, and Global Justice's chief of operations immediately brought the call up on her video screen.

"Agent Harm." She greeted the coffee-skinned woman who served as her adjutant. "You've got something for me?"

"Kim Possible just made a call to the Go Tower."

Betty's single eye widened in shock. Kim had been too good an agent to think Global Justice wouldn't be monitoring Team Go. The situation must be desperate for her to risk such a call.

"Did we get a copy?"

"Yes, ma'am." Agent Noelene Harm nodded. "Incoming and outgoing streams were recorded. I can patch them through to your desk."

"Go ahead."

Agent Harm's fingers flew across her keyboard, and the image on Betty's screen divided in two. Hego appeared on the left side of the screen, his blue hair tousled, clad in what looked like pajamas.

"Go Tower." He croaked, smothering a yawn. Then he paused, eyes widening, before turning slightly away from the screen. When he spoke again, his tone was forcedly polite, his smile plastered on as his hand slowly moved across the console in front of him. "Miss Possible. This is a surprise."

The source of Hego's discomfort appeared on the other side of the screen. Her face was speckled with sooty marks, and there was what looked like a streak of dried blood on her cheek. Strangely, she seemed to be dressed only in her underwear and a massively over-sized leather coat.

"Go ahead and press the GJ alert button, Hego." The redhead sounded even more tired than the man she'd evidently woken. "Though to be honest they're probably listening in already. I wouldn't call if it wasn't an emergency."

"Why _are_ you calling? You know I won't help you. I don't agree with what you've done." Hego's smile faded as he openly pressed the button Kim had indicated.

"It's not me I'm calling about. It's Shego."

Hego looked concerned, and Betty felt her own stomach clench. The Governing Council had estimated a nearly one in three chance Shego would be seriously injured or killed in her attempt to capture Kim Possible. Had that projection already come to pass?

"My sister? Is something wrong?" Hego at last managed to speak.

Kim nodded.

"She's been shot."

"You _shot_ her?" Hego was incredulous.

"Of course not." Kim snapped. "It was one of her own people. Some kind of double-cross. I've managed to stabilize her for the moment, but without a transfusion, she'll die."

"Transfusion?"

"She's lost a lot of blood. You and your brothers are the only possible donors. I need all four of you in the Go Jet and on your way to Veligrua as soon as you can."

"Miss Possible, do you really expect me to believe this story -"

"Look, Hego, it's true. Call your brothers, then Doctor Director. GJ can confirm I'm calling from Veligrua. This isn't a game, or a ploy. This is your sister's life." Kim stepped sideways, showing the room behind her. Shego lay on a simple medical cot, an oxygen mask over her face and various tubes leading into her arms. Her body was clad in what Betty recognized as a Peregrine Suit. Where had she got one of those? Or was it Kim's? That would explain the redhead's strange attire.

Kim continued to speak as Hego grew pale, his fingers clenching on the console before him and warping the steel.

"I know you have issues with what Shego and I have done with our lives, Hego, But she needs you."

"I don't know –"

"Prisoners are entitled to medical attention, right?"

Hego blinked.

"I don't understand."

"Shego's not in any condition to run or to fight, Hego." Kim sighed, rubbing at her eyes. "If you come, you can take her into custody without any trouble. And once she's in your custody, you're required to provide all possible medical care."

"True." Hego looked relieved at having the conflict between family loyalty and the demands of the law resolved. "You'll place some kind of beacon before you leave, so we can find her?"

"I'm not going anywhere, Hego."

The blue-haired man looked confused.

"Miss Possible, if you are still present when I arrive –"

"You'll arrest me. I know, Hego." Kim shrugged. "But someone has to stay with Shego until you get here. I've had a crash course in how to monitor her and what to do if anything goes wrong. Look, I'll make this as easy for you as I can. If Team Go comes here - alone – and does what they can to save Shego's life, I'll surrender to you. No attempts to escape. No attempts to resist."

"Why would you do this?"

"Shego's saved my life, Hego. Twice. I can't say for sure _why_ she did it, but I wouldn't be here at all without her. Now her life is in my hands ... I have to do everything I can to save her."

"Do I have your word?" Hego asked. He was the kind of man to whom such an undertaking mattered.

"You have my word." Kim nodded. "And Betty, because I'm sure you're listening by now ... keep your people away. The fewer people here, the less chance someone will do something stupid."

The screen went blank.

* * *

"What did you do after witnessing this call, Doctor Director?" Ruth Lees asked, steepling her hands in front of her. Betty suppressed the urge to scowl.

"I did exactly what I put in my report." She answered stoically. Lees shot her a grim look.

"For the benefit of those who may be familiar the specific details of your report, please repeat them for the hearing."

"I notified Global Justice's jailhouse to expect two prisoners, one of whom was seriously injured. I contacted Team Go and informed them that Global Justice would provide them support, but not interfere without their request –"

"So what you're saying is that you trusted the word of the world's most wanted felon? Took what she had said at face value?"

"I did." Betty allowed a little sarcasm to creep into her tone as she continued. "And since she's currently in a Global Justice Holding Cell, it seems my trust was borne out."

One of Lees's flunkies nervously cleared his throat.

"Surely you had no way of _knowing _that Ms Possible would –"

"I worked with Kim Possible for _twelve years_; first on an occasional freelance basis, then as her direct superior." Betty snapped. "I do not agree with the choices she has made, but I know her and I know her motives. She made a promise in order to save a life. There was no way she would betray that promise."

"Unlike the promise of loyalty she made when she joined Global Justice?" Ruth Lees smiled malevolently.

"Yes." Betty stated simply, refusing to be baited.

"Did you do anything further after witnessing the conversation between Kim Possible and Hego?"

"I notified three field teams to be on standby."

"That's all? You didn't think to notify any of the Governing Council and ensure they approved of the operation?"

"The Council's function is strategic. They had already approved the strategic goal of the operation: use Shego to capture Kim Possible." Betty answered flatly. "Oversight of tactical mission decisions are _not_ part of the Council's function. Handling such matters without the need to involve the Council is the _purpose_ of my role as Chief of Operations."

"You didn't think that the change in the situation warranted providing the Council with an update?"

"I did not." Betty's response was clipped. "But as I have subsequently learned, the Council did not agree with me."

"You find our disagreement amusing, Ms Director?"

Betty's eye narrowed.

"My title is 'Doctor', _Governor_ Lees. And no, I don't find it amusing. I also don't find it relevant. At most, such a disagreement might result in a reprimand. Instead, I find myself accused of negligence and dereliction of duty. Accusations that could end my career."

"The question is relevant, _Doctor_, because of your response when the Council _did _learn of the changed circumstances. Clerk: play the footage."

"Video archive from the office of Doctor Elizabeth Director. Recorded 3:27am local time, September 3rd, 2017."

* * *

"Chairman." Doctor Director greeted the whiter-haired leader of the Governing Council. The nominal leader, anyway: it was rapidly becoming apparent to Betty that Ruth Lees was the Council's dominant force. The man blinked owlishly at her from the video screen, and when he spoke, his tone was hesitant.

"Doctor Director. It has come to the Council's attention ... that you have been informed of Kim Possible's whereabouts."

Betty suppressed a blink of surprise. _She_ hadn't communicated that news to the Council, which either meant that Agent Harm had notified them without her instructions, or someone else was monitoring her office. Neither option sounded comforting.

"I have." She acknowledged. "Team Go are en route to her location, and should take her into custody within the next ninety minutes."

"No."

"... Sir?"

"This mission is too important to entrust to freelance aid. Especially freelancers with personal connections to Kim Possible and Shego. Tell Team Go to abort their mission immediately."

He couldn't be serious. Betty stared at the Chairman. He was sweating, and he couldn't look her in the eye, but he didn't say anything more. He was serious, alright.

"Sir? Is this an order ratified by the Governing Council?"

"It is. The authorization has been sent to your office."

Betty suppressed her dismay. She had hoped the Council hadn't had time to formally act – if the Chairman had simply been making a personal request, she would have had the option to ignore it. Now, she could only try to change their minds.

"Chairman, I strongly recommend against this decision. Ms Possible had indicated her willingness to surrender to Team Go, not to any other party. She's given firm instructions that Global Justice is to –"

"Doctor Director!" The old man interrupted hoarsely. "Wanted criminals do not issue _instructions_ to Global Justice! You will follow my orders."

"Of course, sir. But what if Team Go do not? As you yourself noted, they have a personal connection to these two women, and may insist on continuing to Veligrua."

"That cannot be allowed." The white-haired man swallowed at the glare Betty was giving him, but continued. "If they refuse to voluntarily abort the mission to capture Kim Possible, you are to force them to do so by whatever means necessary. Is that understood?"

Reluctantly, Betty nodded.

"Yes sir." Not bothering to conceal her anger, she jabbed the button to end the communication, then leaned back in her chair and massaged her temples. Without her brothers, Shego would die. How could she look Hego in the face and tell him he couldn't save his sister? How could she look at herself in the mirror after she'd done it?

There was a _ping_ as the Council's order arrived in her e-mail. Betty opened the document. There it was, in black and white.

_Team Go are to be removed from the mission to apprehend Kim Possible. As Ms Possible's activities have principally been directed against the lawful Veligruan government, her apprehension is to be delegated to Veligruan security forces._

Betty stared into the distance, her mind working. This was worse than she had thought. Veligruan security? They'd go in guns blazing. The Council was effectively sentencing Kim and Shego to death. She could not deliberately stand aside and let two women be killed. But she could not disobey a direct order. There must be some way to ...

Betty thumbed the intercom to her adjutant.

"Agent Harm, get me the Go Jet."

"Patching you through, ma'am."

Hego appeared on screen almost immediately. His face was drawn.

"Do you have any news, Doctor Director?"

"I do, but I need to speak with Mego."

"Mego? Why?"

"Because she's finally realized who _should_ be the leader of this team!" the slender, purple-haired member of Team Go declared. "Get out of the way, lummox!"

Betty Director was not the kind of person who rolled her eye. But if she was, she would have done so now. She needed to speak to Mego because ... well, because she wasn't sure Hego could _spell_ 'subterfuge', let alone grasp it.

"Mego. I'm afraid I'm going to have to abort your mission to apprehend Kim Possible."

"_What?_"

"An emergency humanitarian mission has come up." Doctor Director talked over the objection. "You're the only ones who can get there in time, so I have no other option."

"But –"

"_Listen to me, Mego_." She stared at him hard, willing him to understand. "Lives are at stake. You have to deliver these urgently needed medical supplies to the coordinates I'm sending you. Have you got the coordinates?"

"Yes, they just came through, but –"

"I don't have time for this, Mego! You have the coordinates. Plot them into the Go Jet's navigation system. You are to proceed there as soon as possible and provide all necessary medical assistance, as well as _immediate evacuation_ to anyone who needs it. The mission to capture Ms Possible has been delegated to Veligruan security. I need to know that you understand what I'm telling you."

Finally, she saw Mego's eyes widen in comprehension. He nodded.

"We've got the coordinates, Doctor Director, we're on our way."

He signed off.

* * *

"You were very clever, Doctor Director." Ruth Lees spoke in sudden, almost vicious bursts. "In humanitarian interests, certain emergency and relief missions don't need Council authorization. The delivery of medical supplies is one such mission type. Thus you created a bogus medical emergency –"

"I did no such thing. Medical supplies _were_ urgently needed, and Team Go were the only ones who could get there in time. A woman would have died without their aid."

"You ordered Team Go to the very location they had been forbidden to go!"

"I received no order barring Team Go from that location." Betty said softly. "My orders were to abort them from the mission to apprehend Ms Possible. I did so."

"It just so happened that you then chose them to conduct their 'humanitarian mission' in exactly the location where Kim Possible could be found!"

"Yes." Betty Director took no small satisfaction from the fury on Ruth Lees's face. It would be something to help her get through however many years she would spend in the Global Justice penitentiary.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Looks like the Governing Council didn't want Kim and Shego coming out of this alive, but Doctor Director found a way to circumvent their intentions without _technically_ disobeying orders. It doesn't seem like that technicality is going to protect her from retribution, however. :)

And what of Kim and Shego – sounds like Kim is alive, but were any of Team Go a suitable donor for our favorite green lady?


	11. The Enemy of my Enemy

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0047

**Name:** Lynnette Andretti

**Known Aliases:** Adrena Lynn, 'Freaky' Lynn

**Relation to Suspect:** Former enemy; former associate of Shego (PI Ref 0006); recently employed by Veligruan Security.

**Location:** Presidential Compound, Veligrua

**Interrogation: **Veligruan Security has provided a copy of the subject's statement regarding the suspect and the suspect's previously unsuspected arrangement with Shego. Requests for a face to face interview with Global Justice operatives have been declined due to 'security concerns'.

**Biography:** Former host of an 'extreme stunts' TV show. Exposed by the suspect for faking her stunts, the subject attempted to gain revenge and was subsequently humiliated on national TV. Served five years for attempted murder. Worked on several programs as backstage crew after her parole. Upon the conclusion of her full nine-year sentence, the subject joined Shego's operation as an electronics and surveillance expert. During the cause of the pursuit of the suspect, the subject approached Veligruan Security with proof of Shego's deal with the suspect against Global Justice.

**Surveillance:** Subject has remained in Veligruan Presidential Compound since the capture of Shego and the suspect. No surveillance has been possible.

**Recommendation:** Discontinue surveillance until such time as subject leaves Presidential Compound.

* * *

Kim stared idly at the blank glass wall in front of her. It was featureless to her eyes, but she had no doubt that a dozen Global Justice technicians were behind it, analyzing her heart rate, her perspiration, the dilation of her eyes, and at least fifteen other gauges for determining whether she was telling the truth. A faint smile flickered over her lips as she considered how useless it would probably all be. She'd been in the monitoring room dozens of times, and she'd never once seen all that electronic wizardry read anyone as well as Doctor Director could.

"Ms Possible." A formal voice greeted her as the door to the room opened.

"Hi Will." Kim smiled pleasantly. "I'd offer to shake your hand, but ..." she jingled her cuffs, which were locked to the table.

The Global Justice operative checked his watch.

"Interview commenced at nine thirty eight by Senior Agent Will Du. Present in the room are myself and the prisoner, Kimberly Anne Possible." He turned his attention to Kim. "I'd like to keep this formal. Please refer to me as Agent Du, Ms Possible."

"Not gonna happen, Will. I saved your butt half a dozen times while I was working here. I think that earns me first name privileges." She also knew the informality would annoy him, possibly make him off-balance. "Where's Betty?"

"Doctor Director had ... other business to attend to." The stiffness of Will's reply went beyond his usual formality. Kim frowned. Something unusual was going on.

"The first interrogation of the world's most wanted criminal, and the head of Global Justice's operations isn't here? Whatever that business is, it must be big."

Will Du didn't answer. Kim's frown deepened. What could keep Betty Director from attending this interrogation? Something niggled at the back of her brain. Something Mego had said.

"What's going on, Will? Is Doctor Director okay?"

"Ms Possible, you seem to misunderstand the point of this interrogation. _I_ will be asking _you_ the questions."

Doctor Director was evidently _not_ okay. Kim deliberately shrugged and steadied her breath, trying to make her heart to slow its rapid beat. Mego had said something about Betty calling Team Go to reclassify their mission as 'humanitarian'. That smelled like politics, to Kim. And if that was true, the last thing Betty needed was people wondering why a captured felon cared how she was.

"So ask your questions, already." Kim sprawled back in her chair; as much as the cuffs would let her, anyway; consciously imitating the nonchalant scorn she'd seen Shego display in the same situation.

"What's your relationship to Shannon Edwards, better known as Shego?"

"What's our relationship?" Kim raised her eyebrows. "You'd think the people who hired her to _hunt me_ would already know that."

"Just answer the question, Ms Possible."

"Fine. We're enemies."

"Enemies?" Will Du looked frankly disbelieving. "You gave up your freedom to save the life of a woman you consider your _enemy_?"

"Yes."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I don't really care whether you believe it, Will." Kim shrugged off Du's skepticism. "It's what happened."

"So there's no truth to the allegation that you and Shego are secretly cooperating in order to maximize both your chances of evading capture?"

Kim gaped, then snorted with laughter.

"Where in the world did you get _that_ idea from?"

"From Shego."

Kim blinked. Why would Shego say something like that? For that matter, did that mean ...

"She's awake? Is she okay?"

"As it happens, she awakened this morning. She'll be transferred to the cells later today. I must say, you seem rather concerned for the welfare of your so-called 'enemy'."

"Well like you said, I did put my ass in a sling for her." Kim smirked. "It's nice to know it wasn't in vain."

"I wouldn't start celebrating just yet, Ms Possible. Ms Edwards may have recovered from her injuries, but she still has to answer for her crimes."

"Her crimes? You mean she didn't demand an amnesty in return for hunting me?"

"An amnesty _was_ part of the arrangement, but that offer was predicated on good faith on Ms Edwards's part. And as you well know, Ms Edwards had no real intention of capturing you."

"Funny ... the nanobomb she set off in my face felt pretty damn real."

"Ms Possible, your insistence on this fiction of animosity between yourself and Ms Edwards will not help your case when it comes to judgment."

"My 'insistence on this fiction of animosity'? Will, are you even human?" Kim cut Will off from any response. "Let me guess ... flippancy won't help me either, right? Look: Shego and I are enemies. Always have been. I don't know why she'd claim different ... if in fact she did. Maybe whatever painkillers you have her on are messing with her head."

"Ms Edwards mentioned your alliance before her capture." Will Du gestured with his hand and a panel slid up in one of the room's bare steel walls, revealing a flat screen monitor. The screen quickly flickered to life.

Kim caught her breath, recognizing the image of Shego and Maria. The Veligruan woman was speaking, her voice picked up with crystal clarity.

"And now you are helping her? I thought you were a thief, not a hero?"

"You thought right." Shego smirked, then raised a hand when Maria flushed. "Look, I'll be honest with you. I'm helping Princess with her little crusade for selfish reasons."

There was more, but Kim didn't listen to it. This was bad. Shego had really dumped them both in it this time. Maria too. Eventually, the recording came to an end and Will Du turned to the redhead with a grim expression.

"Why would Ms Edwards make those claims if they weren't true?"

Because she was trying to win Maria's trust. Not that Kim was going to say that.

"I have no idea. Maybe it would help if I knew who she was talking to, and why ..."

"Ms Possible ... the Veligruan authorities have already identified Maria Mendes, more correctly Maria Bolivar, a known political activist whom you broke out of custody nearly two weeks ago. The authorities are looking for her as we speak."

Kim cocked her head to one side and shrugged. 'Looking for her'. At least that meant Maria hadn't already been captured. It was unusual for Will to make such an elementary slip. He was too by-the-book to be a really _good_ interrogator, but he knew better than that.

"So there's no chance you'll believe I'm not secretly in an alliance with Shego?"

"The evidence of your alliance seems pretty damning, Ms Possible."

"Oh come on, Will." Kim gestured at the screen. "Look at that footage! It's crystal clear! The sound is perfect! Have you ever seen _real_ surveillance footage like that?"

Will Du folded his arms. He looked like he wanted to reject what she'd said. But he couldn't. They both knew she was right.

"This is a set-up, Will. You're too good of an agent not to see that." Kim gestured at the screen. "For picture and sound that clear, whoever was watching them had top quality gear set up beforehand, and a microphone _at _the table."

"All of which might be relevant if this footage hadn't come from within Ms Edwards's own organization." Will cut her off. "Yes, the surveillance was prearranged. It doesn't make what Ms Edwards said any less true."

"Oh come _on_." Kim rolled her eyes. "Shego was just saying whatever she thought might lead her to me."

"So you admit she had some reason for thinking Ms Bolivar would know of your whereabouts?"

Kim bit her lip.

"I not saying anything about whether Shego had a _reason_ to think it." She snapped. "Reason seems in short supply right now. You got this footage from Lynn, right? The person who _shot_ Shego? She can't be trusted! She hates us both!"

"As interesting as your conspiracy theories are, Ms Possible, I doubt that my superiors will put much store in them." Agent Du said dismissively. Kim was perplexed. Will was insufferably prim, and more than a little smug, but he was also competent. It was like he was being deliberately obtuse.

"So that's it, then?" She asked bitterly. "GJ have decided Shego and I were working together all along – despite years of fighting each other – and you're shipping us off to Facility D?"

"We're shipping you off, but you won't be joining Doctor Director. The Veligruan authorities have demanded both you and Ms Edwards be extradited to their custody, and Global Justice has agreed." Will Du glanced at his watch. "I don't think we'll learn anything further right now. Interview terminated at nine fifty one."

Kim gaped at Agent Du turned on his heel and walked out of the door. Her stomach was roiling: _Betty_ was in Facility D? Why was Doctor Director in Global Justice's most secure holding facility? And now Kim and Shego were to be sent to Veligrua. They wouldn't live long if General Harker had them. She couldn't believe Will Du was ... Kim's train of thought came to a sudden halt as a glimmer of hope appeared in her mind. What she _really_ couldn't believe was that Will Du had let slip Betty's location by accident. He was too experienced to do that. In fact, Will had made a number of minor slips in the interview. Things a lesser agent might have done by mistake. But not Will Du.

As four guards escorted her back to her cell, Kim Possible suppressed a smile. Will had found a way to provide her with useful information. If she lived through this, she'd have to thank him. But the first priority had to be survival. And for that, she was going to need a little help from her friends ... and her enemies.

* * *

Shego leaned wearily against the bars of her cell, listlessly observing the redhead in the opposite cage. Kim had hooked her knees over the frame of the top bunk in her cell, and was doing a series of rapid, vertical crunches. Shego, still lethargic from whatever drugs the doctors had pumped her with, couldn't imagine finding the energy to match the younger woman. So she'd spent the hours since she'd been moved from the infirmary to the cells in trying to find the right words to say to Kim. The redhead had given up her own freedom to save Shego's life. It was a act of self-sacrifice that Shego still found hard to believe. She wanted to make sure that she made Kim understand exactly how she felt about it. At last, she had chosen what to say. It wasn't exactly poetry, but at least it was succinct.

"You're an idiot, Pumpkin."

Kim paused in mid-crunch, then relaxed, allowing her body to hang upside down as she stared across the corridor at the green woman.

"That's not a very polite thing to say to someone who saved your life."

"Doy. Saving my life is what _makes_ you an idiot."

"Really?" Kim swung herself upward, unhooked her knees from the bed frame, and dropped to the floor. She considered the matter for a moment. "Yeah. I guess you're right. That was a dumb thing to do."

Shego stared at the younger woman in shock. Surely the redhead couldn't be serious?

Kim smirked. Shego couldn't believe it. Here they were, imprisoned in a high security prison buried under who knew how many tons of dirt and concrete, and Kim Possible had apparently gone insane.

"What's so damn funny, Princess?"

"Only _you_ could complain about still being alive."

"I'm not complaining about being alive." Shego snapped, folding her arms. "I'm complaining about you being an idiot."

"Because I saved your life? Is your life not worth saving?"

"We're enemies! I was hired to hunt you!"

"True." Kim acknowledged, stretching to her left and frowning in thought. "So anyone who saves their enemy's life is an idiot?"

"Y –" Shego snapped her mouth shut, cutting off her automatic response. There was something about the younger woman's expression that screamed 'Trap!' to her. "Wait a damn second, Pumpkin. This is nothing like the times I saved your scrawny rear end!"

"Uh huh."

"It's not!"

"'Uh huh' is an agreeing noise."

"Well ... you agreed in a disagreeable way."

Kim burst into a peal of laughter. Shego stared at her, eyes narrowed.

"Seriously, Kimmie ... I think being locked up has made you stir crazy. You're in _way_ too good a mood."

"I'm just happy you're alive."

Shego blinked.

"You are?"

"Hey, I've never wanted you to die."

"Never?" Shego challenged. She saw the younger woman flush. For the first time, Kim's gaze dropped from her own. But then redhead lifted her head and looked the taller woman directly in the eye.

"... once." Kim admitted. "But it was a long time ago."

"So that whole 'hide from me, or I'll crush you like a bug' thing?"

"Bluff." Kim shrugged.

"... you can admit it just like that? You're not worried that I'll start hunting you again?"

Kim shrugged once more, a smile tugging at her lips.

"I suppose you could, but why would you? There won't be any profit in it, since I very much doubt GJ's offer is on the table any more. Your friend Lynn gave them a recording where you claim that you and I are secretly allies. Global Justice seem willing to accept it at face value."

Shego frowned.

"I gave Betty more credit than that."

"So do I. She's not in charge any more." Kim caught the startled look on Shego's face. "They let it slip in my interrogation. I don't know who's replaced her, but she's definitely out of the command loop."

Shego frowned and kicked at the bars of her cell.

"Any idea why?"

"I've got a hunch or two, from something Mego said –"

"You saw my brothers?" The green woman's head snapped up.

"... you lost a _lot_ of blood. We needed supplies for a transfusion and they were the best chance of a match. Plus, they had the equipment."

"Damn it, Pumpkin." Shego rested her forehead on the cool iron crossbar of her cell. She did not want to know that she owed her life to her brothers. Of course, some were worse than others. "Please tell me _Hego_ wasn't the best match."

The redhead shook her head.

"It was Mego. He was pretty smug about being the one to save the day."

Shego sighed.

"He'll be insufferable the next time I see him. Hell, they'll all be insufferable. I can't believe you called my brothers. I can't think of anything worse."

"Hey, if I could have given you _my_ blood, I would have done."

"I take it back. That would be worse."

"Hey!"

"Hey nothin', Princess. I may not like my brothers, but at least _they_ didn't just get done kicking my ass." Shego smirked when Kim actually looked shocked. "Don't be so surprised, Pumpkin. I'm proud, but I'm not delusional. At the villa, you definitely put one in your 'W' column. Doesn't mean I can't beat you in the future, just like I beat you in Orlando –"

"I got away!"

"Cupcake, if getting away counts as a win, I'm way ahead on points."

Kim grunted to acknowledge the truth of this.

"There's more bad news." The redhead confessed. Shego sighed.

"Why do I even keep talking to you? You're like Bad News Tinkerbelle. What now? You're out of toilet paper in your cell?"

Kim wrinkled her nose.

"Gross. Also: no. Something else GJ let slip in my interrogation –"

"They not very good at this interrogating business, are they? It seems like you learned more from them than the other way 'round."

Kim, who believed that Will Du had deliberately let the information slip, merely shrugged. It was too dangerous to mention what her suspicions about the agent's actions: the conversation was probably being recorded.

"I was their number one agent for four years running, Shego. I do know a little about interrogation techniques." Kim reminded the green woman. "Now do you want to hear what I learned or not?"

"From the way you're talking, I suspect 'want' is not the right word."

"No, it isn't." Kim acknowledged. "GJ have decided to extradite us to Veligrua."

"_Shit_." Shego slammed her palm against the bars of her cell. "This is why I always stayed out of political jobs, Princess. Working for mad scientists is much less dangerous. More fun, too."

Kim cocked her head to one side.

"Those old days ... back when I was in high school ... do you ever miss them?"

Shego raised her eyebrows.

"What, the days of being dragged along on Dr D's insane plans to conquer the world? Throwing down with some goodie-two-shoes cheerleader every other day of the week? Getting sat on by giant dogs and zapped into TV shows and all the rest of that crazy shit?"

"Yes, them."

"Abso-frickin-lutely."

Kim smiled, briefly.

"Remember those times we teamed up?"

"... ah hell, I can see what you're doing, Pumpkin." Shego stalked back and forth across the limited space of her cell. "You want to team up again, right? Pool resources to get out of here."

"Well, if GJ is going to insist we're working together, we shouldn't disappoint them." Kim shrugged. "And we'll have more chance of getting out of here if we work together than alone."

Shego kicked her bunk, not wanting to agree but seeing no option. If the truth were told; not that she planned to; the green woman knew she needed Kim more than the redhead needed her. She was still weak after the emergency surgery she'd been through. The thought drew a grim smile out of the pale woman: Global Justice had helped patch her up, just to send her to the butchers in Veligrua. The 'good guys' were crazy, that way.

"Just so long as you know this is a one time deal, Pumpkin." She said at last. "Once we're free, we split up. And if we ever cross paths again, I'll kick your ass same as I always have. Got it?"

Kim rolled her eyes at the threat, but nodded.

"Got it."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** And at last Kim and Shego are ... however tentatively ... on the same page. How will they break out of GJ's clutches? Will their alliance end once they do? Are Kim's suspicions about Will Du correct? Who will be chosen to lead GJ? Will this story ever get to the lesbian nookie?

Some of these questions will be answered next chapter, I promise :)

Also: Rojo makes his reappearance. _Muy bueno!_


	12. The Great Escape?

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0015

**Name:** Jocelyn Possible

**Known Aliases:** Possitron (in "Robot Rumble"), Joss Possible

**Relation to Suspect:** Cousin.

**Location:** Lazy C Ranch, MT

**Biography: **Former head of the Kim Possible Fan Club (Montana Division). Home-schooled, passed her GED at 14. Attended Middleton University, studying Robotic Engineering. Accepted for advanced placement under sponsorship of Doctor Vivian Porter (PI Ref 0041). National "Robot Rumble" champion in the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Responsible with Dr Porter for the development of the first "11th generation" automatons. Accepted for Global Justice candidacy in May 2015, but withdrew application shortly thereafter and returned to live with her father Slim Possible (PI Ref 0014) on his ranch. Subject remains in regular correspondence and contact with Dr Porter.

**Interrogation: **Subject denies any contact with suspect or knowledge of suspect's whereabouts, but stated support for suspect's actions.

**Surveillance:** Attempted full time surveillance. All attempts immediately identified. Hypothesis: Lazy C ranch equipped with advanced surveillance gear, for purposes unknown. No indication of contact with the suspect. Correspondence with Dr Porter monitored, but no indication of any classified information being exchanged.

**Recommendation:** Maintain surveillance efforts, especially subject's correspondence with Dr Porter, due to risk of security leak.

* * *

Shego lay down on her bed, trying to make the action seem nonchalant. The truth was, the wound in her gut was starting to throb again, and lying down hurt less than standing.

"So Pumpkin, I hope you have a plan for getting us out of here."

"Something will come up." Kim shrugged.

"Something will come up?" Shego was incredulous. "Please tell me you planned better than that when you were in high school, or I may never live down the shame."

"My plan against you guys back then was usually 'keep Shego distracted until Drakken screws up'."

Shego shot the redhead a sour look, then sighed.

"Yeah, that would probably work." She admitted grudgingly.

"It did." Kim couldn't help but smirk a little. "It helped that you always seemed more interested in kicking my butt than actually making Drakken's plan succeed."

"I like to fight." Shego shrugged. "And there are very few people I can cut loose on, physically. You were ... are ... one of them. And when you had that damn battle suit of yours, I could even let the gloves off with the plasma."

"Speaking of your plasma ..."

"No can do, Kimmie." Shego deliberately kept her voice light, hiding the concern she actually felt. She raised a decidedly unlit hand and waved it back and forth. "Nothing. I couldn't even light a cigarette."

"That's okay, I don't smoke." Kim leaned against the bars of her own cell. "When GJ had you in the infirmary, they may have dosed you with 'Dimmer'."

"Dimmer?" Shego's interest perked up. She didn't know why her powers weren't working, and the loss worried her more than she wanted to admit.

"It's a chemical compound designed to suppress your comet powers. It's got one of those forty-eight syllable scientific name ... Di-something or other. 'Dimmer' is just what everyone called it."

Shego whistled softly.

"When did GJ start working on _that_?"

"Years ago ... not long after Electronique used the attitudinator on your family. Seeing what could happen if your brothers turned evil, Doctor Director wanted a non-lethal means of disabling them. Hego provided cell samples for them to work on."

"He would." Shego snorted. "So if they've had this stuff for years, how come they've never used it on me?"

"The project is years old, but it was never a priority. Your brothers going evil was considered an unlikely scenario."

"What about me? I'm a fully paid up member of the Supervillains' Union."

"GJ's main purpose is to preserve world security ... you were never considered a significant threat to that."

"_What? _I was the world's most wanted criminal!"

"Yes ... for the frequency and audacity of your thefts. Not because you were trying to take over the world. You haven't done that since Drakken reformed."

"He didn't reform. He got brainwashed by his own stupid invention."

"However you want to put it ... before that you were seen as just a sidekick for a second rate mad scientist, and after it you were just a thief." Kim frowned. "If Global Justice have a working version of 'Dimmer', they must have poured some money into it. That means they've upgraded your security threat level since I left."

"It's nice to be appreciated." Shego smirked briefly, before her expression turned more serious. "In any case, Princess, if you were hoping my powers were going to get us out of this, nothing doing."

Kim shook her head.

"I figured something was wrong. Otherwise you would have tried to blast your way out of here by now. This may have actually worked in our favor. There's a chance GJ would have kept you fully sedated if they didn't have Dimmer."

"They should have done that anyway." Shego growled, as she folded her arms over her chest. "But someone high up in Global Justice must be buying Lynn's story. No other reason to put us close enough to talk."

Kim nodded.

"They listen in and hear the details of any plans we make together, and maybe we'll let something useful slip while we're talking. It's a risky idea, but it might have paid off."

"Well, we showed _them_." Shego laughed bitterly. "We don't _have_ a plan."

"Sure we do."

"Kimmie, sitting and waiting for a blind chance to save us is not –" Shego broke off as the lights suddenly flickered and died, plunging them into momentary darkness. In the sudden silence that followed, the _clunk_ of the cell's electronic locks disengaging was loud.

Both women leapt blindly for the doors of their cells, wrenching them open and stepping into the corridor. Mere seconds later, the lights flared on once more, and a klaxon began to wail.

Kim smirked at the dumbfounded look on Shego's face.

"Told you something would come up."

* * *

"Ay!"

Rojo scampered out of the way as a desk chair suddenly rolled backwards. The Global Justice technician seated in it rose to his feet, completely oblivious of the infuriated mole rat beneath him.

As last hopes go, a two ounce mole rat is probably among the smallest. But Rojo's size was more often than not the key to his success. Like almost any other security system, such as the one on Shego's villa in Veligrua, the motion detectors in Global Justice were keyed to ignore creatures below a certain size, to prevent an alert every time a rat or an unusually large cockroach scuttled about the place.

But Global Justice were also more aware than most of the dangers of very small infiltrators: years of nanoticks, l'il diablos and sundry other miniaturized threats had seen to that. Any area not easily and constantly accessed by human agents was crawling with hand-sized security robots, armed with miniaturized weapons and designed according to the latest Porter-Possible specifications. Rojo couldn't avoid them all, and the destruction of any of the robots would trigger an alarm. All of which meant that he had to stick to public corridors and rooms: and that meant dodging clumsy, thoughtless, ridiculously over-sized feet.

The mole rat pattered out from beneath the chair, racing under the relative safety of a computer desk. Breathing a sigh of relief, he adjusted the tiny backpack he wore, and waited for his opportunity.

"Loco." He muttered darkly to himself. The plan was crazy. Senorita Possible had suggested it: therefore she was crazy. He'd agreed: clearly, he was crazy too.

"I need you to stow away on the Go Jet." Senorita Possible had explained, cupping him in her hand as she spoke. "At some point they'll land, and Global Justice will transfer us to another vehicle. You need to get into that new vehicle as well. Stay out of sight. Once they have us wherever they're taking us, hole up for a couple of days. Shego will need at least that long to recover."

"Que?"

Kim shrugged, though she kept her hand still for Rojo as she did so.

"I need to talk to her. I'm not really sure what I'm going to _say_ ..." She trailed off, then sighed. "But I can't just leave her there without a word."

Rojo shrugged. He could have left the scary green woman without a second thought. Humans were weird.

"When you come out, find the main computer core and plant a nanobomb against the main security and secondary security circuits. They have to be set to detonate together; not more than a second or so apart. That'll give a three second cut-out before the off-site redundancies kick in. Once you're done, make your way to the vehicle depot. I'll meet you there."

"Peligroso."

"I know it's dangerous. I wouldn't ask you if there was any other way."

Rojo reared onto his back legs and put his paws on hips as he glared at Senorita Possible. It wasn't the danger to _him_ that he was worried about, and she knew it.

"Sorry, little man. I know I'm taking a big risk. But I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have watching my back on this one."

Rojo snorted. Watching her back? That wasn't how _he'd_ put it.

"Guardar su nalgas."

"Potty mouth." His human chuckled, then kissed him on the top of his mask-covered head. "I know you can do it, little man. I'm way in your debt for this."

"No grande." He waved his paw nonchalantly.

"_I_ think it's big. You know what that means."

"Pastel!"

"Yep. So much pie you won't be able to move, once you're done."

In the here and now, Rojo rolled his eyes.

"Loco." The mole rat muttered again, watching as the Global Justice human slung himself back into his chair. No amount of pie was worth this, not matter how buttery the pastry, or sweet the filling. Rojo sighed ... he wasn't doing this for pie. He was doing it for Senorita Possible: the human who had given him a home when even his own kind rejected him.

Another Global Justice technician entered. This one was female, and Rojo's sensitive nose immediately picked up the scent of human sexual interest. He slapped his paws over his nostrils, fighting the urge to sneeze.

The two humans were talking. The scent intensified. This was his chance. He scuttled for the computer console, the nanobombs secure in his pack. Within a few minutes, Senorita Possible would be free.

* * *

"You could have warned me." Shego huffed.

"Not with Global Justice ears listening in, I couldn't." Kim shrugged. "Besides, I didn't know for sure ... when ... it would happen."

"Or if?"

"When." Kim said firmly. Her eye caught movement a little further down the corridor and she turned. "Oops, other prisoners."

There were two figures in GJ prisoner jump suits a little further along the hall. One male, one female. The man – large, mustachioed, and wearing the world's most obvious wig – raised his hands imploringly.

"C'mon Red. Seriously ... don't –" Kim's foot crashed into the man's jaw, knocking him cold. Seeing this, the female prisoner simply bolted, running past Shego and along the corridor, before rounding a corner and disappearing from sight.

Kim glowered at the green woman.

"Thanks for your help."

"I signed up for an escape attempt. Not a 'keep all the other prisoners in jail' attempt." Shego shrugged, then glanced at the unconscious man in the frightful wig. "Is that Motor Ed? What the hell happened to him?"

"Male pattern baldness."

"So, what now?" As Shego spoke, the female escapee came racing back around the corner, pursued by half-a-dozen Global Justice agents.

"Fight."

"Now _there's_ a plan I can get behind."

Shego dropped into a crouch as the female prisoner ran past her once more – even Kim ignored the woman this time, since the corridor dead-ended behind them – then spun into a roundhouse kick as the first GJ agent reached her. The man went down with satisfying speed, but immediately, there was a flare of pain from her abdomen. The green woman cursed softly, feeling a damp stickiness spread down her side. She'd opened her stitches, already.

As she turned so that her uninjured side was presented to the enemy, Shego sensed movement through the air behind her. She ducked, and another of the GJ agents sailed over her head, crashing into the next man charging her and sending both tumbling to the ground.

"Watch where you throw your left-overs, Pumpkin!" The pale woman snapped, blocking a blow from what seemed to be the last of the GJ agents, then punching the woman in the gut. The female agent doubled over, and Shego snapped up a knee, striking the point of the woman's jaw and taking her out of the fight.

"You only got two, Shego? You're slowing down in your old age."

"You stole one of mine, Princess." The green woman glanced at the female prisoner, who was watching them both warily. "What do we do with her?"

Kim stared at the woman, stepping into the middle of the corridor so that the prisoner couldn't rush past her again.

"So ..." The redhead put her hands on her hips. "Are we going to do this the easy way, or the hard way?"

The woman swallowed.

"... I could pay you well to get me out of here."

"Not going to happen." The redhead said firmly. Shego grimaced.

"You know, Princess, having a few more escapees for GJ to chase might actually help our chances."

"I'm not about to help dangerous criminals escape."

"What the hell am _I_?" Shego resented the slight on her criminal credentials. "I'm much more dangerous than _her_. She can't even handle six GJ goons."

The woman snarled, hands balling into fists.

"Screw you, you green bitch. Your days in the Union are done, you get me? When I tell them about your little lesbian lover, here –"

Shego's fist crushed the woman's nose. The injured prisoner staggered backwards, through the open door of Kim's cell, and the green woman calmly slammed the door shut. Half falling onto the cell's bed, the woman dabbed at her nose with her hand, her fingers coming away bloodied.

"You'll pay for this, Shego. Do you have any idea who you just crossed?"

"Not a clue." Shego flipped the woman off, then turned to Kim. "Who the hell is she?"

"Catherine Mary Time. Better known as Cat O' Nine Tails."

"Really?" Shego raised an eyebrow and glanced into the cell at the furious woman. "So you're the neko girl pirate wannabe with a whip fetish, right? Yeah, I'm quaking in my boots after crossing you."

Kim tapped the green woman's arm.

"Come on, Shego. We gotta get to the front gate. We don't have time for your little catfight." She paused. "Heh. 'Cat'-fight. Because you're fighting Cat O' Nine Tails."

"It wasn't funny _before_ you explained it, Princess, let alone after." Despite her grumbles, the pale woman allowed herself to be dragged away. She was still complaining when they reached the end of the corridor, however. "The caliber of your opponents has really gone down since high school, you know."

"Because Drakken was such a poster-boy for villainous success." Kim rolled her eyes. "You know, Cat's a lunatic, but she could make trouble for you with the Union. If they _and_ GJ both buy into the idea of 'Kim and Shego sittin' in a tree –'."

"Don't say another damn word of that rhyme, Pumpkin."

"I'm just saying, she only said it to piss you off, and it worked. You could have trouble with the underworld after this. I mean, they're going to figure you had a reason for punching her out when she called me your lover –"

"I did have a reason: the idea of being with _you_ sickens me." Shego snapped.

"Likewise, I'm sure." Kim's tone was amused, rather than angry.

"Besides, at least _I_ didn't let her hear where we were going. She'll tell those GJ goons as soon as she wakes up, you know."

Kim just snorted. Shego glanced at her.

"We're not going to the front gate, are we?"

"Of course not."

"When did you learn to lie?"

"When did your wound start bleeding?"

"When I kicked that first goon. Don't think I don't notice you changing the subject." Shego paused as they reached another intersection. "Which way now?"

"Left. We're making for the vehicle bay. Rojo will be waiting there."

"The damn _mole rat_ got us out?" Shego shook her head. "I need to get one of those."

The two women raced on, Kim's intimate knowledge of Global Justice facilities leading them on the most direct path to their objective. Gray and blue-trimmed corridors raced by, punctuated by the occasional intersection and several sudden – and short – altercations with Global Justice agents.

"There." At last Kim pointed to a large steel door, set into the wall on their left. "Cargo door. That's the vehicle bay." She leapt forward.

Shego's senses tingled. This was too easy.

"Princess, wait!" The green woman's reaching fingertips just failed to grab the redhead's jumpsuit.

Kim bounded forward for three steps, then suddenly clapped her hand to her neck. She spun, fingers plucking a dart from her skin. Her eyes widened as she stared at the dark needle point, then she felt her legs go rubbery beneath her, and she tumbled to the floor.

"Damn it." Shego raced past the crumpling redhead. Fresh pain flared in her abdomen, but she ignored it as she threw herself forward, dropping under a second dart, then rolled to her feet in front of the lurking Global Justice sniper.

"Confirmed contact at the vehicle –" the agent's desperate radio message was cut off by a sharp blow to his temple. Even before he hit the ground, Shego was checking the contents of his weapon. She recognized the drug. A fast-acting sleep agent. The effects would only last an hour or so, but until it wore off, Pumpkin was going to be dead weight.

"Idiot." Shego swore at the comatose redhead. "You have all the details of the plan worked out, then you get cocky and make a stupid mistake like this." The sniper had got off enough of a message that the vehicle bay would soon be crawling with agents. She needed to get out immediately. She couldn't afford to be weighed down with Kim's body ... if she was even capable of moving the redhead, given her own injuries. No, the only safe option was to abandon Princess and save her precious green skin.

The pale woman turned and took a step toward the cargo door. Then she stopped. She couldn't hear the sounds of running feet. Maybe she _could_ drag Kim to a vehicle in time. No, it wasn't worth the risk.

Shego wavered for a moment more.

"Idiot." She swore again. Only this time, she wasn't talking to Kim.

Shego grabbed the redhead by the shoulders and pulled her toward the bay.

* * *

Kim woke suddenly, going from deep sleep to wakefulness in an instant. It wasn't a pleasant sort of wakefulness, though. Her limbs all felt rubbery, and there was a taste like old socks in her mouth.

"Idiota."

The redhead laughed weakly.

"Hey Rojo. Miss me?"

The mole rat huffed, folding his arms and giving her his best glare, but he didn't object when she swept him up and kissed him on the top of his head.

"You're my number one guy, Rojo." She set the masked mole rat on her shoulder and knuckled her eyes to clear them, then took a look around.

"Nice." She was in a lavishly appointed jet of come kind. Probably a Gulfstream. "GJ must have had some VIP at the base. Trust Shego to steal the fanciest ride available."

Unbuckling the belt in her seat, the redhead rose to her feet – a little unsteadily – and made her way to the cabin. Shego sat in the pilot's seat, making feather-light adjustments to their course as they raced across the landscape, flying nape of the earth.

"Any pursuit?" Kim asked, moving to stand behind the chair.

"No. I was out of visual range before they could scramble, and I've stuck below radar the whole time. We're free and clear. At least for now."

"How's your wound?"

"Bleeding's stopped, but I need to get it cleaned and stitched up again as soon as possible. No pun intended."

"I'll see if there's a first aid kit aboard." Kim offered. She paused, then continued. "Thanks for pulling me out of there. It would have been safer to just leave me. I should have spotted that ambush. I was careless."

"You and the mole rat –"

"Rojo."

"I'm not sticking around, remember? I don't need to know his name." Shego ignored the very loud raspberry Rojo blew in her direction. "Anyway, you two saved my life and got me out of my cell. I was just repaying the favor. I couldn't stand to owe you. That's all."

"Okay. Thanks, anyway." Kim leaned over the back of the chair and gave the older woman's shoulders a grateful hug.

"Geez, Princess. I told you I don't swing that way." Shego's tone was gruff and unfriendly, making the contact sound unwelcome.

But she didn't actually _tell_ Kim to let go.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Cat O'Nine Tails is just a throwaway character concept. She has no further bearing on this story. Using her in other fics is fine by me. Just let me know so I can check 'em out.

Joss's Robot Rumble handle "Possitron" is borrowed from the round robin fic "Inversion: Red and Black" on KPslashhaven.

On another note: I've basically done all the "Person of Interest" files for characters with a strong connection to either the plot, or to Kim or Shego. If there's a particular KP character you'd like an update on, let me know. The most popular requests will be the subjects of future POI file entries.


	13. Once More Unto the Breach

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0023

**Name:** Yori Agena

**Known Aliases:** Sensei Yori, The Lotus Babe

**Relation to Suspect:** Former colleague.

**Location:** Unknown; presumed Japan

**Biography: **Graduate of one of Japan's secret ninja academies, suspected but not confirmed to be Yamanouchi school. Demonstrated expert in several forms of martial arts, including Tai Sheng Pek Kwar. Believed to have worked with suspect on at least two occasions during suspect's high school career. Rumored to have attended suspect's wedding as a guest of the groom, Ron Stoppable (PI Ref 0002), but no photographic confirmation exists. Has served as freelance operative of Japanese Intelligence Service (JIS) since 2010, occasionally liaising with suspect and other Global Justice operatives. Not known to have conducted any missions in the past 12 months. Recent communications from JIS use honorific 'Sensei', suggesting subject has probably accepted a training role, either with JIS or at her academy.

**Interrogation: **Statement provided by subject via JIS affirms that subject has had no contact with suspect since the 'All Terrain Bullet Train' incident (MOTORE-15-002).

**Surveillance:** Surveillance delegated to JIS, per 1974 Tokyo Accord on Ninja Activities. JIS report indicates no contact with suspect.

**Recommendation:** Discontinue surveillance efforts.

* * *

Kim looked at the narrow pilot's seat and the profusion of gauges, levers and throttles around it.

"This isn't going to work." She observed, as she perched on the co-pilot's chair, a first aid kit in her lap. "Me sewing you up while we're flying, I mean. There isn't enough room."

"Well, I can't exactly leave the controls." Shego pointed out. She glanced across at the redhead. "Unless you can take over? I could clean up the wound myself."

Kim shook her head.

"At cruising altitude, I could handle this thing. But not this nape of the earth stuff you're doing." She twisted her head to the mole rat on her shoulder. "Can you do it, little man?"

"Si."

The green woman looked dubious.

"Are you sure that's sanitary?"

"Tomaré ese riesgo."

Kim choked off a laugh, turning the sound into a cough, and covered her mouth to hide her smile. Shego's look turned suspicious.

"What?"

"Rojo says he's clean."

"Why do I get the feeling you're paraphrasing?"

Kim shrugged.

"Do you want to be patched up or not?"

"Fine." Shego sighed. "The little rodent can go ahead."

After smearing a local anesthetic on the flat plane of Shego's stomach, Rojo donned a tiny blue surgical mask over the top of his usual luchador's mask, then soaped up and rinsed all four of his paws.

"Escalpelo."

"_What?_"

"Rojo, stop teasing." Kim handed the mole rat a needle and thread. "And be careful. Shego's one twitch away from condemning us all to fiery death." Her mouth quirked into a sudden grin. "Story of my life, really."

Shego snorted.

"If I'd wanted you dead, Princess, you would be. I could have dialed my powers up to full strength at any time. Even easier, a bomb in your high school or hidden in your bedroom could have done the trick."

"I know you weren't really trying to kill me. Though as it happens my bedroom was a little better protected than you might expect." Kim smiled when Shego shot her a surprised look. "Think about it, Shego: how many technological geniuses did I know? Wade and my dad had that place locked up tight. It would have been a shock for any villain who tried to sneak in. Or boy, according to my dad. He always was a bit twitchy about boys."

"Huh." Shego shrugged, earning a chitter of annoyance from Rojo.

"Estése quieto!"

"Sorry." The green woman said automatically, then realized what she'd done, and sighed. "I can't believe I just apologized to a hairless rodent. Where the hell did you and the buffoon get these little critters from anyway?"

"The Smarty Mart in Mexico City. I was there on a kidnapping case with GJ."

"_You_ went into Smarty Mart?"

"I was with Ron for nearly eight years, Shego. I had to break my aversion to Smarty Mart eventually." Kim smiled, then the expression slowly faded. "And you can't get naked mole rats anywhere else. After things ended with Ron ... I wanted something to remind me of the good times."

"I can see how a tiny, wrinkly pink thing would remind you of the buffoon."

"Shego!"

The green woman smirked.

"You might be a big, tough, world-saving renegade, but some things haven't changed, Princess. You still blush easy."

Kim's blush deepened at the jibe, and she struggled to find a riposte.

"... I just think you should be nicer to Rojo. He _is_ the one patching you up."

Shego risked a glance down before returning her eyes to the landscape as it rushed beneath them.

"Doing a fine job of it, too. Those are some pretty tight stitches. Maybe even as good as mine."

Kim's eyebrows shot up to her hairline.

"_You_ sew?"

"Just my wounds and the occasional rip in my catsuit, Kimmie. I can't exactly take that to the dry cleaners, you know? That's all. It's not like I sit in my lair darning socks, or something."

"... I'm not sure whether to find that mental image horrifying or hysterical."

"Horrifying, if you know what's good for you." Shego's growl lacked its usual venom, and her voice lightened immediately afterwards. "So the little guy's name is Rojo? That's 'red', right? You name him after your dye-job or something?"

The pale woman had expected a sputtered denial of the 'dye' comment. Instead, Kim fell silent, and when she responded, it was to a different part of the question.

"Rojo doesn't like to talk about it."

"... what?"

"Rojo doesn't like to talk about it. He's picky about who gets to know." The redhead repeated. "And I don't think he likes you much, just yet."

"Whereas you think I'm swell, right?" Again, the green woman expected a hasty denial. Again, she didn't get it.

"... I don't really know how I feel about you."

Shego paused, not sure where the conversation was headed. She didn't really want to talk about feelings with Kimmie. Hell, she didn't really want to talk about feelings with _anyone_. But she'd been the one to broach the subject. If she backed away from it now, it would look like she was scared. She was damned if she'd let that happen. Especially since, in truth, she was a little unsure.

Bravado and sarcasm had always served her well before.

"You know, Princess, it's talk like that that leads to second rate supervillains thinking they can question my sexuality."

"Right. Because pet names like 'Princess' don't come across that way at all." Kim said lightly, then went on in a more serious tone. "To be honest, I'm surprised Cat's comment got to you like it did."

"Yeah, well I have personal reasons for that. And no, I'm not going to talk about them. We aren't friends, remember?"

"We _have_ saved each other's life. That has to count for something."

"Don't tell me that's part of why you're 'not sure' how you feel about me."

"No. I mean, I _am_ grateful. I screwed up with that sniper. If you hadn't been there –"

"I was."

"Yeah." Kim nodded, her expression thoughtful. "You were."

"Like I said: don't read too much into it. I owed you, and I didn't like the way that felt. If you hadn't saved me, you wouldn't have been in GJ's hands to start with. I still don't know why you did that. We're enemies, after all."

"Why did you save me from Warmonga? Or from Pirate-Drakken?" The redhead countered. "We were enemies then, too. You saved me because it was the right thing to do. You're a better person than you pretend -"

"So there's a line I won't cross. Hardly puts me on the side of the angels."

"Perhaps. But it's a part of why I don't know how to think of you." Kim tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Then there's everything you've done for that woman in the hospice –"

Shego's normally green-tinged skin when chalk white with shock.

"You know about _Alex_?"

* * *

"Shego: fire."

No response.

"Shego! Your hands!"

"What?" The green woman finally recovered her wits. "Shit." The plane's joystick was smoking in her hand, which was aflame with plasma. Shego clamped down on her shock and anger, forcing the flames away. Only after she felt completely in control of her outrage did she turn her attention back to the redhead.

"How do you know about _Alex_?"

"Shego ..." Kim glanced out of the cockpit window and shook her head. "We shouldn't have this conversation now."

"Tell me, damn it!"

Kim sighed, knowing it was useless to argue.

"GJ has a file on Alex. They have for a long time. But look, Shego: you really _are_ the only one keeping us from plowing into the ground right now, so you need to calm down. I'll tell you everything I know."

"You'd damn well better, Princess."

"Global Justice found out about Alex years ago. Only a year or two after you left the hero business. They cracked one of your dummy identities and found out you were funneling money to pay for her care. You must have known that was a risk because you only ever used that identity in the most out of the way places."

"They've known all this time and they never did anything? You expect me to believe that?"

Kim shrugged.

"It wasn't like you were turning up in person. They couldn't use the information to capture you. Doctor Director's official recommendation was something like –" The former teen hero closed her eyes, trying to remember the exact words. "The illicit nature of the funds used to provide Ms Beehan's care does not invalidate the worthiness of that purpose. No further action is to be taken."

Despite herself, Shego snorted.

"It doesn't 'invalidate the worthiness', huh? That _does_ sound like Betty. Who else knows about this?"

"Probably no-one. Those files were nearly fifteen years old, and considered 'low significance'. I only know because I went through every archived file GJ had on you. Most people aren't that thorough."

"Thorough? I think you mean obsessed."

"Ah, a joke. I guess that means you've calmed down a little. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you like that. Obviously this woman meant a lot to you. Were ..." Kim paused. "Never mind. It's not my business."

"I know what you want to ask, Pumpkin." Shego shot a glance at the redhead. "And you're right. It's not your business. But no, we weren't lovers. Just friends."

Kim nodded.

"Okay."

"... so that's all GJ knew?"

"That's all that was in the file."

The green woman silently stared out of the cockpit for several seconds, as if weighing Kim's answer in her mind. Finally, she nodded, then veered the conversation back to an earlier topic.

"How's Rojo doing?"

"Todo hecho." The mole rat completed the last stitch, then snipped off the excess surgical thread with his teeth.

"He's all done." Kim suddenly veered the conversation again. "You remember the fight at Bueno Nacho?"

"The one where you kicked me into an electrical tower? Hard to forget."

"... sorry."

"Water under the bridge, Kimmie." Shego shrugged.

"Ten years after the event, maybe. At the time ... I threw up two days later when I realized how close I might have come to killing you. How a moment of anger could have made me a worse villain than you'd ever been."

"That's an over-reaction."

"Is it? I hurt you – risked killing you – not because it was necessary, but because I wanted to. Because for that moment, it felt good."

"Never did it again though, did you?"

"What?"

"You never did it again. Never let the anger control you like that. That's what makes you a hero, Pumpkin." Shego suddenly grinned. "Well, that and all the nauseating do-gooding and world-saving you get up to." She added mischievously.

Kim laughed.

"Okay, I get the message. Enough introspection and angst."

"Damn right." Shego nodded. "We have more important things to think about. Like where and how to ditch this plane."

"Has it got the range to reach the ocean?" Kim asked, looking helplessly at the jet's sea of dials and gauges. She felt a pang of regret for her lost Peregrine suit, and pushed it away. No doubt she'd miss it again, sooner or later, but there were bigger concerns right now.

"Easily. Got an idea?"

"Put on chutes, set the autopilot to take her up, and jump as soon as we hit a safe altitude. By the time GJ scrambles to our location, we'll be long gone. The plane then ditches at sea."

Shego nodded.

"Opening the side door would throw off the aerodynamics, which would use up more fuel, but there'd still be plenty to make it to the ocean. Let's do it."

* * *

"What are your plans?" Kim asked Shego half an hour later, as they concealed the used parachutes in a copse of trees. The green woman shrugged.

"Reclaim my number one spot on the most wanted list and teach a certain fer-_eak­_ a little lesson about loyalty. Why?"

"We worked well together today ... and before you ask, yes by 'worked well' I _do_ mean 'you saved my ass'. I could use that kind of help on my next mission."

Shego shook her head emphatically.

"I'm out of the sidekick business."

"I was thinking more in terms of 'partners'."

"Partners? What is it with you and the lesbian subtext, Pumpkin?"

"You're the one who keeps seeing it." Kim responded dryly. "Perhaps you ought to ask yourself that question."

"Sorry, Kimmie, btu I'm not interested. That good guy stuff doesn't pay. You saved me, I saved you. We're even. I don't owe you anything any more."

Kim nodded.

"That's true. You don't owe _me_ anything."

"... I don't like the way you said that." Shego's eyes narrowed. "What haven't you told me?"

"Doctor Director ... she's not just out of GJ's command loop ... she's being held in Facility D."

"You're joking." The green woman said flatly. "Either that, or you're crazy. What the hell would Betty be doing in Facility D?"

"I don't know." Kim shrugged. "But I do know she ended up there right after she sent your brothers to save you. There has to be a connection."

"Maybe." Shego allowed. She folded her arms. "But I'm not a hero, Pumpkin. If Betty stuck her neck out for me, that was her choice. Doesn't mean I have to do the same for her."

"I thought you couldn't bear to owe people?"

"Using my own words against me? That's underhanded, Princess."

"I'm picking up bad habits. Must be the company I've been keeping."

The green woman snorted, then sighed and kicked at a nearby tree-root.

"We're not friends, Kimmie."

"Absolutely not." The redhead agreed pleasantly. "The very idea is a joke."

"You're sure about this? Betty Director is in prison? Hell, not just 'prison'. Betty Director is in Global Justice's maximum security facility?"

"I got it straight from one of GJ's senior agents." Out of reach of Global Justice surveillance, Kim felt safe to reveal more of Will Du's actions. "He let it 'slip' in my interrogation. I'm pretty sure deliberately."

"Could be a tra-" Shego paused. "No, not much point in trying to trap someone who's already in your custody." She shook her head. "Kim Possible's a wanted criminal, and Betty Director's in prison. The whole world's gone crazy ... I may as well go crazy too. Let's go save the old battleaxe."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** This was a tough chapter to write, and I'm still not sure I'm happy with it. Shego keeps being difficult. Kim keeps trying to get her to open up, but she won't cooperate. I suppose I should be grateful for small mercies: at least she's willing to find reasons to keep going on missions with our favorite redhead. "I guess I do owe Betty. And really, Pumpkin's idea isn't any stupider than some of the schemes I let Drakken drag me on." :-)


	14. Friends Like These

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0037

**Name:** Felix Renton

**Known Aliases:** Wheelz99, The Zombie King

**Relation to Suspect:** Friend.

**Location:** Seattle, WA.

**Biography: **A high school friend of the suspect and particularly of the suspect's ex-husband, Ron Stoppable (PI Ref 0002). The subject is known to correspond regularly with Mr Stoppable. Subject lost the use of his legs as a young child, but retains a high degree of mobility through the use of a technologically sophisticated wheelchair (officially registered as a 'light aircraft' under Federal regulations), and his recent participation in a test of advanced robotic 'servo-limbs'. The subject and his partner Zita Flores (PI Ref 0038) both deferred college entrance in order to design and program the first of his phenomenally successful zombie-themed games. "Planet Z", the latest entry in the line, is currently the world's most popular online game. The couple, who are joint share-holders of the multi-million dollar company "ZFR Games", have two children: Nika (4) and Jason (2). Both children use their mother's surname.

**Interrogation: **Subject denied any contact with suspect or knowledge of suspect's whereabouts, but stated some support for suspect's actions.

**Surveillance:** Full time surveillance undertaken for 2 months. No sign of contact with suspect. Subject lodged formal complaint against surveillance of workplace electronics, citing privacy rights of clients.

**Recommendation:** Discontinue surveillance efforts.

* * *

Shego rubbed a hand over her face. How has she allowed Pumpkin to talk her into this?

"Do we _have_ to go to Utah?" she scowled.

"It's where Facility D _is_, Shego." Kim raised her eyebrows. "How else are we going to reach Doctor Director?"

Shego huffed, but eventually forced out a nod.

"Fine. We'll go. Just don't expect me to like it."

"What do you have against Utah?"

"Everyone's too damn pleasant."

Kim stared at her.

"... only _you_ could consider that a negative."

"Not true. Doctor D hated the place too. Said it made his eyes itch."

"You realize you're using _Drakken's_ opinion to justify yourself." Kim smirked. "I'm pretty sure that's grounds for automatic loss of the argument."

"... it's all so fake. I don't like it when people pretend to be nice."

"Maybe they aren't pretending."

Shego snorted.

"Yes, they are. People _aren't_ nice, Pumpkin." Shego folded her arms. Kim was fast beginning to recognize the posture as the beginning of a long and fruitless argument.

"We're getting off track." She said, thinking but not saying the word '_again_'. "The only person in Utah we plan to talk to is Doctor Director. So whether or not anyone else is pleasant or nice or whatever doesn't really matter."

"You just don't want to admit I'm right."

Kim sighed.

"Fine. You're right. Everyone's an asshole. That's why Betty Director risked her career to save your life, and why you're now risking being killed or captured to free her."

"I'm just paying back a debt." Shego defended her 'bad girl' credentials.

"Which, fundamentally, is an ethical thing to do. And it doesn't explain why Doctor Director did what she did." Kim help up a hand to forestall the green woman's response. "Look, Shego ... you obviously have reasons to think the worst of people. I don't know what they are –"

"And you're not going to. We're not friends."

Kim paused and was silent for several seconds. Shego was surprised to see indecision on the redhead's face, which ultimately morphed into a kind of mulish determination. When Kim finally spoke, there was a hint of challenge in her tone, but also something else ... almost plaintive.

"Would it be so bad if we were?"

Shego raised an eyebrow.

"Pumpkin, a week ago we were kicking each other's asses. Hell, we've been beating on each other for _years_."

"So we've had some rough patches." Kim gave a wan smile. "We've been friends before."

"The time I was out of my gourd on goodness germs doesn't count, Princess."

"Well, what about the times we took on Warmonga? If we weren't friends then, we at least weren't enemies."

Shego sighed. Why did the redhead insist on complicating things?

"We're not enemies now, either. I'm working with you on this. Isn't that enough?"

Kim slumped back in her chair and ran a hand through her hair.

"It's just ... look, neither of us is exactly blessed with friends. I mean ... I do have some, but they'll all be arrested if they talk to me. And you –"

"Are too unlikable to have any?"

"Do your best to push people away." Kim cocked her head to one side. "Like you're doing now, in fact. You know what? I'm making an executive decision. I'm your friend. End of discussion."

"You can't tell me how to feel, Possible." Shego glared.

Kim shook her head.

"I'm not. I'm not saying _you_ have to be _my_ friend. I'm just saying I'll be yours. You need something from me, just ask and I'll do my best to help you -" she gave a brief grin. "- buddy."

"You're pushing it, Cupcake."

The redhead contrived to look contrite.

"My apologies. To get back on topic, Facility D is in Granite Peak, in the middle of the Dugway Proving Ground. That's a big military base -"

"I've heard of it. Didn't they move all the alien stuff there after Dr D took that stupid poodle for walkies around Area 51?"

"You mean the poodle that sat on you?"

"Now would a 'friend' mention that?"

"Sorry." Kim's brief good mood faded, and this time her apologetic expression seemed sincere. She looked away from the green woman, picking nervously at the edge of the table with her fingernails. "I mean it, Shego ... maybe it doesn't make any sense, given our history ... or maybe everything we've been through is exactly _why_ it makes sense. I don't know. But I'd like us to be friends. I know I can't force you into it, and I'm not going to try. But the offer stands."

Despite her ingrained cynicism, Shego was touched by the redhead's offer. As usual, she reacted badly to the feeling.

"Yeah, well don't look for me to break down and thank you for lowering yourself far enough to call me friend." She snorted. "I'm not a charity case."

To the green woman's surprise, Kim let out a bark of sour laughter. Immediately, Shego bristled.

"Something funny, Princess?"

"I'm not laughing at you." Kim shook her head. "Well, not in the way you think. I know you're not a charity case, Shego. I'm making the offer just as much for me as for you. _More_ for me than for you, really. When I left Global Justice, I had no idea how hard ... how lonely ... this life would be. All I have is Rojo." She gently stroked the mole rat, who had long since grown tired of the two women's bickering and drifted off to sleep. "And as much of a help as he's been, it's sometimes not enough."

"Pumpkin ..." Shego sighed. "Kim. I understand what you're saying, but I'm not the person you need. I haven't had a real friend in twenty years. I've forgotten how ..." she remembered Alex, and gave her own sour laugh, "... if I ever really knew. You must have people you work with. Maybe you should be friends with them."

Kim shook her head.

"To them, I'm ángel azul ... 'The Blue Angel'. I'm an icon, not a person. I can't ever just be _Kim_ with them. That's something I can only do with you." She gave a sudden, fleeting smile. "If I even tried to be an icon around you, you'd give me a crash course in iconoclasm."

"You got that right." Shego grunted. Then she slowly shook her head. "I understand what you're asking, Pumpkin, but I can't do it. I'll help you bust Betty out of Facility D, but then I'm heading off on my own. I'm sorry." She paused, surprised to realize that she genuinely meant the last two words.

"We could still stay in touch."

"Too dangerous. You know that. Communications can be intercepted and traced."

Kim sat silently for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay. I said I wouldn't try to force you –"

"And it wouldn't work if you did."

"- so I'll accept your decision." Kim ignored the interruption. "But if, after you leave, you ever need my help ... you can ask. I'll do what I can."

Shego nodded, feeling more comfortable now that they were on a topic where she could readily lie. The green woman's only firm plans involved Lynn, and she had no intention of dirtying Kim's hands with those. After that ... well, maybe it was time to cash in all the secret accounts and buy an anonymous little island somewhere warm.

"You know, Kimmie, Betty's not going to rescue herself. We should get back to the plan."

* * *

"I don't like this plan." Shego grumbled under her breath.

Kim gave the green woman a look; half amused, half exasperated.

"You know it makes the most sense." She pointed out in a whisper.

"That doesn't mean I have to _like_ it." The older woman said petulantly, her voice still low. "You get to do all the important stuff."

Kim rolled her eyes.

"Why do I get the feeling that if we swapped roles, you'd complain that I got to do all the _fun_ stuff? You know you're the best choice to be the distraction."

"You only say that because I'm a sexy green freak with an explosive personality."

"Explosive? Literally." Kim considered Shego's qualities. "Sexy? Well, I doubt many guys would argue. But 'freak'? No. You're no more a freak than I am."

"You know, Cupcake, comments like that are why second-rate super-villains think they can question my sexuality."

"Uh huh. Because pet names like 'Cupcake' certainly wouldn't have anything to do with it." Kim replied. "And if we're _actually_ thinking of reasons why we have to do things this way, you know I have to be the one who goes for Doctor Director."

Shego smirked.

"You don't think she'd trust me if I said I was there to rescue her?"

"With _that_ look on your face? Not a chance." Kim answered. "Instead, you get to blow things up and make guards run in circles chasing you. It'll be just like your times with Drakken, except that your partner's competent and the plan's gonna work. Oh, and we actually know what it is we're here to steal."

"You're _hysterical_, Pumpkin." Shego gave the younger woman a mock glare, the effect spoiled somewhat by a powdering of white salt-sand on her cheek. Kim fought the urge to brush it off. "You should try your material out on those guys over there."

The redhead made a show of peering across the hot Utah sands. The two women lay in a depression some three hundred yards from the boundary of Facility D. They'd made their way slowly to this point under the cover of darkness, then dozed under camo-capes while waiting for the sun to rise high into the white-blue sky. The glare off the sand would have been painful if it was not for the tinted goggles they each wore ... Kim with rather more grace than Shego, as the green woman complained bitterly about the goggle-straps getting snagged in her hair.

"Those guys don't look in the mood for jokes." The younger woman eventually said, musing over each word as if she was deeply considering the suggestion.

"I can see why." As far as Shego could see, the only thing being a guard at Facility D had going for it was that no-one was shooting at you. Yet. "All I see is a cement guard post and a couple of car ports. You sure this is the right place, Princess?"

"That's right ... you've never been here." Kim gestured toward the site, using only her finger tips. "It only came online three years ago, and the one time we tangled after that, you got away. Getting inside is the easy part – it's been designed to stop people getting _out_. Once you get in there, it's a lot more impressive. You remember the security measures we talked about?"

"Apart from the robot guards? Tear and knock-out gas projectors, taser cannons, blast doors, charged webbing, and allegedly plasma-proof walls." Shego rattled off the list in a bored tone. "You know, that last one is a really dumb idea. It just means I can cut loose without worrying about bringing the whole place down on me."

"It also means that if you get boxed in, you can't blast your way out through a wall, so be careful."

"Then I just get to find out if the plasma-proofing lives up to its hype. Besides ..." Shego gave a wicked grin. "It wasn't _me_ who got hit with a sniper's dart. Better not get your ass shot this time, Pumpkin, because I won't be there to watch it."

"... and you accuse _me_ of making us sound like lesbians."

* * *

Facility D had been on the Global Justice drawing boards for more than twenty years. First proposed by Doctor Director's predecessor, Nicholas Anger, the Facility was intended to be the last word in security. Inmates would be held in underground solitary confinement: large, spacious cells to be sure, but denied contact with any other human being, or even the chance to breathe fresh air. The Facility was to have no human staff – fragile, emotional, blackmail-able or bribable as they were, men and women were not to be trusted. Instead, all functions would be carried out by robotic guards. Heavily armed robotic guards. These robots would use the most sophisticated physical systems and the most basic programming technology possible. Massively powerful, but blind and deaf to sophisticated communications, they would only be able to be reprogrammed in person, and any unauthorized tampering would provoke a sever reaction from the robots.

By the time Anger handed over the reins of GJ to Doctor Director, the Facility's location had been chosen and preliminary excavation had begun. Unlike her predecessor, however, Elizabeth Director didn't look at the plans for Facility D and think in terms like 'security' and 'efficiency': she thought 'inhumane' and 'barbaric'. Repeatedly, she diverted funding away from the Facility, delaying progress in favor of other projects: humanitarian aid to hurricane victims, a peacekeeping mission in a war-torn nation, or technology for the detection and counter-action of weather machines.

Whenever the Global Justice Council instructed her to reprioritize Facility D – which was every year, at the annual budgetary meeting – Doctor Director had requested additional time and funding for further studies. Were Commander Anger's robots as secure as he had believed? What external defenses would the base require, to prevent intrusion by armored forces protected from the interior's anti-personnel security measures? Were there really sufficient high-level threats to justify the Facility's costs? Did the Facility meet Global Justice's self-imposed regulations on the proper treatment of prisoners?

Such measures had delayed the Facility's opening for over a decade, and a damning report claiming 'it would be less barbaric to place the inmates in medically-induced comas for the duration of their sentences' had contributed toward a relaxation of some of the base's strict rules. Inmates were now allowed short, daily periods of interaction with the limited human staff, as well as nightly video entertainment and other small luxuries. Doctor Director still thought the project repulsive, but eventually, she could delay its completion no longer. That the Facility was open did not, however, mean that Betty had to send any prisoners there. For three years, Facility D had been an expensive white elephant: a prison with no prisoners.

The irony that she had become Facility D's first inmate was not lost on Doctor Elizabeth Director.

* * *

Kim raced across the warm Utah sand, zigzagging back and forth through Shego's trail of destruction. As planned, the green woman had struck first, battering her way past the human guards on the surface. Automatic defensive installations designed for targeting vehicles had stood idle while a single woman blasted her way through their human counterparts. By now, Shego was somewhere within Facility D itself, smashing robots.

"And testing just how plasma proof the place is, I bet." Kim mused as she reached the top of the Facility's entry shaft. Shego's abseiling rope was already secured, and the redhead quickly clipped herself to the wire and rappelled down, dropping thirty stories in as many seconds. When she came within fifteen feet of the shaft's base, Kim unclipped the wire and let herself drop, landing in a crouch. A ruined robot, its torso still smoking, lay strewn in several places along the corridor. Blackened, melted spots of metal on the ceiling marked surveillance pods Shego had blasted into scrap. The walls might be plasma-proof, but the cameras were far less durable.

Kim checked the seal of her goggles around her eyes – she didn't want tear gas getting inside – then slipped a filter mask over her mouth and nose. The high-tech polymer membrane was laced with microscopic circuitry that would filter any impurities from the air, protecting her from inhaling any of the Facility's defensive gases.

Hearing the distant sounds of Shego's continued rampage through the base, Kim followed the swath of destruction for three corridors, then took a left turn and set off at right angles to Shego's route. The redhead didn't know for sure where Doctor Director was being held, but she knew enough about Facility D to make an educated guess. Shego had gone in first to cause as much noise and distraction as she could. It was Kim's job to actually find their target and get her out of the base. A diversion, then real attack: it wasn't a sophisticated plan, but neither Kim or Shego had any trust in elaborate schemes: they'd seen too many of them collapse under their own weight.

Snaking through the base, Kim dodged most of the security measures with ease. Gas projectors, taser cannons and blast doors? All in a day's work. She'd been facing all that and worse for more than a decade.

"No big." The redhead smiled to herself as she somersaulted between two taser cannons, causing them to shoot each other and explode. She landed lightly, the fingertips of one gloved hand splayed on the floor. A faint tremor ran up her arm, and Kim frowned. It would take a lot to make the floor vibrate like that. Either Shego was _really_ testing the limits of her plasma powers, or –

Kim ducked and rolled as a crackling blast of energy passed through the space she'd just occupied. The only thing big enough to make the floor vibrate: a robot guard. It stalked forward, its insulated and cushioned feet silent on the floor, but its weight causing the faint vibrations Kim had sensed.

"So not the drama." The redhead tried to persuade herself, as she back-flipped out of the path of another blast. They'd never expected that Shego would distract _all_ the robots, so there had always been a chance Kim would have to deal with one or more of the automated guardians. Still, given the choice, she would rather not.

The mechanical construct stood about eight feet tall, leaving only a couple of feet of clearance above it. Unlike Drakken's Bebes, there'd been no effort to make it human-like. It had four sturdy legs, splaying out from a thick torso, to provide maximum stability. Destroy one or even two of the limbs, and the robot would maintain most of its mobility. Spaced around the body were four arms. The first pair were slender and agile, with hand-like manipulator claws at the ends. The second pair were thick and short, ending in the gaping mouths of blaster cannons. The body itself was blockish and squat, with a stunted, camera-like head. This last feature Kim knew to be a distraction: the robot's actual sensors were embedded in its torso, and the head held no important systems of any kind.

The robot pursued Kim along the corridor, energy blasts flying to her left and right as she dodged back and forth. One upside of the robots' comparatively primitive programming was that they didn't learn. By now, a Porter-Possible android would have analyzed her movements and been able to predict which way she would dodge next. On the other hand, a Porter-Possible android would be susceptible to hacking. The only kind of hacking that would work on this construct was the kind you did with an axe.

Suddenly reversing direction, Kim kicked off the wall and used her momentum to carry her over the robot's head, the lithe redhead somehow squeezing through the narrow gap between the construct and the ceiling. As she passed over the robot, the former teen hero grabbed onto its head and used the leverage to swing down and cling briefly to its back. Immediately, the manipulator arms reached for her, but Kim kicked away just before she could be grasped.

Abandoning any efforts at evasion, the redhead ran pell-mell, as fast as she could, along the corridor. She just had to hope that it took a few seconds for the robot to bring its blasters to bear, because the only thing that could save her now was distance. She needed to be at least fifty feet away when –

The nanobombs went off.

The whole corridor shook as the three blasts went off in quick succession. The first was a shaped charge, to crack the android's hard shell. The second, keyed to go off a moment later, was a standard detonator, to widen the crack and set off the third: which speared fiery devastation right into the robot's interior.

The mechanical creature staggered, shuddered, and then exploded in a firestorm of shattered metal and molten plastics. Kim threw herself flat, arms over her head for protection from the shrapnel, then rolled to her feet and tried to ignore the ringing in her ears. The last line of defense: once disabled, the robots automatically detonated, hurling out potentially lethal debris. This explosion had actually damaged the supposedly impregnable base: thin cracks were evident in the walls and there was dust trickling from the ceiling.

"_Ferociously_ glad that worked." Kim ran her fingers through her hair, shaking out the dust that had settled there. "_So_ not looking forward to all Shego's 'I told you so's." The triple nanobomb ploy had been the green woman's suggestion after Kim described the robots' capabilities. The redhead hadn't been convinced it would work: something she knew Shego would remind her of repeatedly, once they got out of this.

The former teen hero spun on her heel and raced toward the cell where she hoped to find Doctor Director. In essence, the redhead was counting on a bureaucratic lack of imagination. Facility D's cells were split into 'A Wing' and 'B Wing', and within each wing they were numbered from 1 to 30. Kim was gambling on the Facility's first prisoner being slotted into cell A-1. There was no reason not to, after all.

The redhead breathed a sigh of relief as she skidded around a corner and came in sight of the cell. Her gamble had paid off. Doctor Director stood at the reinforced glass wall of her cell, obviously alerted by the distant – though now slightly louder – sounds of Shego's continued activities.

"Ms Possible ..." Betty Director's eye widened.

"Doctor." Kim nodded, racing up to the door of the cell and digging through her pack for more nanobombs.

"Ms Poss ... Kimberley ... what are you doing here?"

"Doing?" Kim blinked. She'd thought that would be obvious. "I ... _we're_ rescuing you. We couldn't just leave you to rot in this place after everything you did to help us when Shego was injured."

"_Shego _is here?" The normally unflappable Doctor Director seemed stunned.

"She knows she'd be dead without you ... so she agreed to help."

"I assume she is the cause of all the commotion?"

"Well, except for that big bang nearby a few seconds ago. That was me." Kim dug out one of the nanobombs. "Move away from the door, Doctor Director, we'll have you out in a moment."

Betty sighed, closing her eye briefly, then stared at Kim with a determined expression.

"I'm sorry, Ms Possible. I appreciate that you've both risked your lives and your liberties to come here, but I can't leave with you."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Dugway Proving Ground is a real place. There really are rumors that it's 'the new Area 51'. Beyond that, everything I have written about it is pure fiction. Though I hope you already realized that :-)

The Flores children are named after the voice actors who portray Zita and Felix on the show.

Updates on this fic and BSP are likely to slow down a little from here on out, as I have some other commitments to attend to. Instead of updating both every week, I expect to update one each week (I'll continue to alternate updates).


	15. Robot Rumble

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0034

**Name:** Bonnie Rockwaller

**Known Aliases:** Bonnie Bradley, The Big Screen's Evil Queen.

**Relation to Suspect:** High School Rival, biopic star.

**Location:** Los Angeles, CA.

**Biography: **A fellow cheerleader and high school rival of the suspect. Subject is one of the Middleton Rockwallers, but has had no contact with her family for more than five years. After finishing high school, subject attended both dance and acting classes, eventually moving to Los Angeles in pursuit of an acting career. Subject used the screen name 'Bonnie Bradley', likely as a means for the subject to distance herself from her family. Success initially eluded the subject, until she successfully auditioned for the lead role in the 'Tainted Hero: The Kim Possible Story' telemovie. Subject's selection was initially dismissed as an exercise in 'stunt casting', due to her personal history with the suspect, but her performance, including doing almost all of her own stunts, and her 'chilling portrayal of psychosis' (TV Guide) won considerable accolades. She has since gone on to several successful roles as a big screen villainess, and is rumored to have secured the role of the chief antagonist in the next 'James Bond' movie.

**Interrogation: **Subject denied any contact with suspect or knowledge of suspect's whereabouts, but stated belief suspect was dangerous and in need of immediate incarceration. Subject appears to bear personal ill-will to the suspect, despite (or possible exacerbated by) owing her successful career to her portrayal of the suspect.

**Surveillance:** Full time surveillance undertaken for 1 month. No sign of contact with suspect.

**Recommendation:** Discontinue surveillance efforts.

* * *

Doctor Director gave a sad smile at the stunned expression on Kim's face.

"I've dedicated my whole life to a cause I believe in, Kimberley. I can't simply turn my back on everything I've done and join up with your ... crusade. "

"I'm not asking you to join me." Kim stated. Doctor Director's eyebrow shot upwards, and the redhead gave a half-shrug. "Okay, so I am going to _ask_. But it's not a condition for getting you out of here. I know we've had our differences about methods, Betty, but never about motives. We both want to help people. How will you do that from in here?"

Doctor Director sighed.

"I might still be pardoned."

"And that's exactly what's wrong with you being here." Kim attached two nanobombs to the door and waved for Betty to stand back. "You saved a woman's life. Why should that need a pardon?"

_Crump_. The nanbombs' focused blasts tore out the door's locking mechanism. Immediately, red lights began to flash throughout the wing, and a thick yellow gas began blasting out of jets near the ceiling.

"Here." Kim threw a pair of goggles and a filter mask to Doctor Director, who slipped them on. "Time to make a choice, Betty. Come with me now, and I promise that after I've made my pitch, you're free to walk away if that's what you want. Or you can stay here. But we both know that if you do, you'll never leave."

That single eye, looking rather strange behind a pair of goggles, stared levelly at the redhead for several seconds. Finally, Betty nodded.

"I never thought I would see the day I found it easier to trust a wanted felon than my own superiors."

"It's my winning personality." Kim grinned, though the expression was lost behind her filter mask. She cocked her head at the sound of another explosion from within the base. The noise sounded even closer than the one before. "We should get moving before this gas gets too thick to see."

"The color is part of the security measures." Betty explained as they began to move through the tunnels. "Blocks visual sensors, including low-light. And it's slightly hotter than the ambient temperature, so it fouls up heat sensors too. Hard to escape if you can't see where you're going. Doesn't interfere with the security droids, though. They have radar and electromagnetic imaging to fall back on."

"How do you keep them from attacking human staff?"

"In normal circumstances, they use visual and electromagnetic recognition. Once the alarms go off, they'll target anything they come across. Human staff have secure areas they can retreat to. Those seal after three minutes. Anyone left after that will be treated as a threat." Betty sensed the look Kim gave her. "The droids weapons and programming are all designed to incapacitate and capture, Ms Possible. Not kill. The staff's lives are not in any danger if they do not resist."

"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself, more than me."

Betty shook her head.

"I long ago gave up on convincing myself that any part of this project was a good idea." She admitted. "I'm just telling you what the Council told me when I asked the question you did."

A low rumble interrupted any response Kim might have made. Betty frowned.

"Is it just me, or did that explosion sound closer than the last one?"

"A _lot_ closer." Kim agreed, grimly. "This gas is slowing us down too –" she broke off as a green light suddenly blazed somewhere in the murk before them. Another blaze, and then a rumble as the ceiling ahead gave way. The gas roiled, blocking all but the dimmest view, but a pair of green glows dropping from above made it clear what – or more accurately _who_ – had just happened.

"Presumido." Came a dismissive sniff from Kim's pocket.

"She does know how to make an entrance." The redhead tried not to let her lips quirk too much at the mole rat's comment. She raised her voice. "Shego! Is that you?"

"You got any other plasma-wielding superbabes I should know about, Pumpkin?" The green woman strode out of the gas, her emerald eyes flicking to the older woman beside the redhead. "Betty."

"Shego." No warmth in either woman's voice. Kim sighed.

"You two can hiss and spit at each other later." She reminded them, then turned her attention to Shego. "What's the sitch?"

The pale woman gave a derisive snort at the question, but answered anyway.

"The good news is that this place isn't _quite_ as plasma-proof as the designers intended. The bad news is I've got security droids on my tail."

"How many?"

Shego shrugged.

"All of them."

Doctor Director made a disbelieving sound.

"There are forty-eight security droids in this complex, Shego."

"Sounds about right." Shego sounded almost cheerful about the fact. "You said to attract their attention, Princess. I did."

Kim sucked air through her teeth, then consciously forced herself to relax. Remember your training. Establish the facts. Formulate a strategy. Above all, keep calm.

"How long until they get here?" The former teen hero asked. Shego shrugged, dousing her plasma to save energy.

"Since they haven't followed me through the hole, I'm guessing they're coming down via the ramps –" the green woman glanced toward Doctor Director, who gave a curt nod.

"The droids programming isn't very sophisticated. The ramps are the only way they know to get up and down. And in theory, you shouldn't have been able to do _that_." She pointed at the hole in the ceiling. Shego laughed.

"You know what they say about theories, Betty." The pale woman sobered and turned her attention back to Kim. "Maybe two minutes. Probably a little less. They aren't that fast, but they're persistent. Got a plan, Cupcake?"

"They aren't very smart." Kim mused.

"Estúpido." Rojo agreed, poking his head out of Kim's pockets. The mole rat had donned an entirely new mask for the mission, flame red, with built in goggles and a filter over his mouth. The goggles gave the mask an almost insectoid appearance, which the mole rat had evidently decided to emphasize by adding a pair of antennae to the mask.

Suppressing the urge to make a comment about 'mole rats in glass houses', Kim glanced upward. She knew the basics of Facility D's security, but she needed Doctor Director's input for this.

"Do these droids have _any_ level of true AI? Predictive algorithms of any kind? Or are they purely reactive?"

"Reactive only. Different algorithms for different droids, but they're too primitive to do anything but pursue. Predicting your route and cutting you off is beyond them." Betty's eyes followed the direction of Kim's gaze. "Some of them _are_ hard-coded to immediately guard the exit. That's a fail safe."

"How many?"

"Five, maybe six."

"Five or six is better than forty." Shego admitted. "But if you're thinking of having me blast my way back to the entrance, Kimmie, then we have a problem. Plasma _proof_ this place may not be, but it took a lot outta me to punch my way down here, and I used a lot of plasma before that. I can't do it four more times _and_ face down a bunch more of these tin cans."

"No need to do it even once." Kim shook her head. "Your plasma is our best weapon against the droids at the exit. I'll use nanobombs to blast through the floors. I have enough ... just. We can do a floor every thirty seconds that way. Say a minute and a half per floor for the droids to follow us. That gives us four minutes to clear out the ones guarding the exit and get out of here."

"Then we just have to worry about whatever the Air Force throws at us." Shego grumbled. Kim quirked an eyebrow.

"You told me you could out-fly anyone."

"I can." The pale woman sniffed, offended. "But the Air Force has F-35s and all I have is a hover-saucer Drakken mothballed ten years ago and forgot about."

"Ten years ago, a hover-saucer would have been enough." Kim cocked her head to one side. "If it isn't now ... maybe you're slowing down?" The redhead suppressed a smile at the immediate flash of irritation in Shego's eyes.

"I know exactly what you're doing, Pumpkin." The pale woman glowered. "Goading me so I'll go all out to prove you wrong."

Kim nodded.

"Is it working?"

"... yes, damn it."

* * *

They leapfrogged from floor to floor. Kim vaulted up first, gingerly testing the stability of the edges around the hole they'd made. Then she dropped a knotted climbing line to Doctor Director, who scrambled up as far as she could.

"This never used to be this hard." Betty grudgingly admitted as she struggled up the rope for the third time. "Too much time at a desk."

"You're doing fine." Kim assured the older woman, fighting down the urge to yell at her to hurry. Another lesson from her Global Justice training: abuse could drive a raw recruit to discover their own potential; but only encouragement would help a seasoned agent surpass themselves. Seeing Doctor Director redouble her efforts, the redhead smiled behind her mask. She'd let the bad things that had come from her time at GJ cloud her to the good it had also done. It was nice to be reminded of some of the positives.

Shego brought up the rearguard, only leaping to each new level a few seconds before Kim detonated the bombs to blast out the floor to the next.

"How we doing for supplies?" The green woman called up to the redhead as Kim prepared the charge that would bring them to the top level of the facility.

"Only three left after this ... that's enough to take out one robot. After that, I'll do what I can to keep them busy, but it'll mostly be up to you to destroy them. Sorry I can't be more help."

"Keeping them busy with all your flipping around will be a help." Shego assured the redhead as she leapt up beside her. Kim brightened.

"Really?"

"Definitely. I'd much rather they were shooting at you than at me." The green woman gave her best evil smirk, earning a glower and a poke in the ribs from the former teen hero. Betty, watching the two as they interacted, gave a surprised curl of her eyebrow, but said nothing.

"I'll go up first, this time." Shego continued, as Kim planted the last of the nanobombs in the ceiling above them. "Could be droids waiting, since this is the top level. Pity your robots are so dumb, Betty. This might have been a real challenge if they were a bit smarter."

"There's no such thing as a perfect security system." Doctor Director said sternly. "Dumb brutes like they used here can be out-maneuvered. But advanced robotic systems can be hacked. Human guards can be bribed or blackmailed. And don't forget that most people would not have the knowledge of the security here that Kimberley and I possess. That gives us a significant advantage."

Kim pushed back her hair and gave Shego another, more gentle, poke in the ribs.

"Ready?"

"Born ready, Cupcake. Let's blow this joint."

The nanobombs detonated in rapid succession, four shaped charges creating intersecting cracks, then two more blasting a hole right where the resulting weakness was centered. Shego gave a reluctant grunt of admiration.

"Nice work, Princess. Could have used you on that safe-cracking job in Madrid." Shego smirked, then crouched and hurled herself upwards. Her gloved hands grabbed an iron beam jutting from the concrete, and she spun herself around it, then somersaulted to the level above. Moments later, argon energy blasts seared the air where she had been.

"Looks like we came up right near the entrance." Kim grabbed Betty round the waist and pulled the startled woman close to her as she drew her grappling gun. "Hold tight."

_Thunk_. The grapple slammed into the ceiling of the level above, and Kim activated the motor to draw them up, pushing forward with her legs so that the cable swung as they were lifted. As soon as they cleared the hole in the floor, the redhead triggered the release on the grapple, using the remaining momentum from the swing to drop them safely to the floor.

"Stay out of sight!" The former teen heroine pushed Betty toward a nearby corner, her own attention focused on the situation before her. Shego was somersaulting back and forth amidst the robots, staying a few inches ahead of the web of energy blasts the metal guardians were unleashing, but too hard pressed to retaliate. Kim needed to help out, and fast.

The redhead suddenly smiled. She brought her right arm up and fired the grapple gun directly into the wall behind her, then ran forward, letting the cable play out as she moved. A strong thrust of her legs, and she somersaulted right onto the back of one of the five droids. The robot's manipulator arms immediately reached for her, but the redhead was too fast. She looped the grapple gun's cable around the droid's useless, diversionary head, hooking the gun itself into a rudimentary knot. Then she kicked herself clear of the droid.

And as she did so, her finger brushed the 'cable retract' button on the gun. The grapple's motor immediately spun into action.

Off balance from the force of Kim's kick, the droid was yanked off its feet. It staggered back several paces, then plunged through the hole they'd blasted to come up to this level. The sudden extra strain ripped the grapple from the wall, and the droid plummeted down, crashing through level after level of the Facility.

"That's gotta be a few million in property damage." Kim called to Shego as she instinctively dropped flat to avoid a blast from another droid. "Aren't you impressed with the way I've taken to the criminal life?"

"I'll be a lot more impressed if you can get another of these droids off my ass, Pumpkin." Shego rebounded off a wall, managing to sling a couple of plasma blasts at one of the robots, but not getting a solid enough hit to do more than stagger it.

"So not the drama." Kim dug into a pouch on her belt and pulled out the last set of nanobombs she had. Sprinting forward, the redhead ducked under another grasping metal arm and somersaulted over a pair of crackling energy beams. She kicked out, staggering one of the droids and using the impact to suddenly change direction. The move dropped her behind one of the lumbering security robots, and she nonchalantly slapped the trio of nanobombs to its back and sprinted away as fast as her legs would carry her.

"Fire in the hole!" she called. Shego immediately began to backflip away in the opposite direction, two of the droids blasting their way after her, while the other pair turned toward Kim.

The nanobombs tore through the carapace of Kim's target, burning out the robot's interior. It shuddered and jerked to a standstill within a moment. Then its power source erupted, shredding the droid from the inside out. Shards of metal sprayed across the corridor, battering the second robot, which staggered from the impacts, its tough shell torn open in several places.

And one large metal plate hurtled down the corridor and caught Kim right between the shoulders. The impact took her clean off her feet, the blunt-edged object gashing deep into her back from sheer impact. The redhead slammed into the wall, head bouncing off the concrete.

"Ugh." Kim rolled woozily onto her back, seeing the second of the two droids advance upon her. The redhead struggled to focus her mind. She had to have some tool, some weapon with which to fight back. But her trembling fingers couldn't find anything, and her brain felt slow and uncoordinated, refusing to offer any solutions.

The droid stalked forward, the blaster emission ports beginning to glow as it brought its weapons to bear.

"Damn it." Kim gasped out, fighting to stand. To dodge. Or to fight. Or to just die on her feet.

And then there was a loud _bang_. The robot staggered, manipulator arms suddenly thrashing as it started to turn. Another _bang_, and the sound of plastic shattering. Sparks and smoke suddenly burst from the droid. It shuddered, then toppled sideways.

Revealing Doctor Elizabeth Director, who had buried an axe right into one of the open gashes in the machine's back.

"Where?" Kim's mouth felt numb as she tried to force out the question.

"Fire-axe." Betty gave the weapon a satisfied heft. "Had to put in emergency supplies when we added human staff to the facility. There's a cupboard down the hall you pushed me into. Now stay still a moment. That's a nasty welt on your head. You may have a concussion." The older woman knelt and checked Kim's back. "Good news. You'll need stitches, and you'll definitely need a week or two to get back to full strength, but I don't think you've suffered any spinal damage."

"Shego?" Kim squinted, trying to see where the green woman was. There was gas even on this level, making it hard to see any distance.

"Coming, Princess." The pale woman appeared out of the swirling yellow vapor. She gave Doctor Director a curt nod. "All the droids are dealt with. Nice move with that axe, Betty. Get to the shaft. I'll take care of Pumpkin."

"I can help her." Betty growled.

"To walk, sure." Shego admitted. "But can you carry her up an abseiling rope? She's not going to climb it herself."

Betty paused, then nodded.

"Is there a remote to call that hover-saucer you mentioned, or are we walking out to get it?"

"Here." Shego pulled a small metal box from the pouch on her ankle. "Just push the big blue bottom when you get to the bottom of the shaft. The saucer should arrive by the time you reach the top. I'll be right behind you."

The older woman nodded, and disappeared into the fog.

"The things I do for you, Kimmie." Shego shook her head as she crouched beside the redhead and offered the younger woman her back.

"Thanks." Kim managed, as she draped her arms over Shego's shoulders and locked her legs around the other woman's waist. It was still hard to concentrate, so she had to fight to ask. "Sure you can carry me all that way?"

"Yeah, Princess. Far as you like."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** This chapter didn't quite go how I was expecting, but I think on balance it came out pretty well. As a big old softy, I like the last line. Any similarity to a line of G'Kar's is not so accidental.

The "die on her feet" line is inspired by participating in Otherworld in 2004. I believe 2008 is a year off for them, but they should be back in 2009. If you live in the north-eastern US, I recommend checking them out. They're an org, not a com, but otherwise their website address is the obvious one.


	16. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0039

**Name:** Professor Dementor

**Known Aliases:** Professor Heinrich DeMenz.

**Relation to Suspect:** Adversary.

**Location:** Principal base believed to be located in Bavaria.

**Biography: **A renowned German physicist gone renegade, the subject was considered a class one threat to world security throughout the first decade of the twenty-first century. His exceptional scientific capabilities and nefarious schemes were repeatedly foiled by the suspect. The subject was also known to be a rival of Doctor Drakken (PI Ref 0013). The frequency and scope of the subject's known schemes have declined in recent years. This may mean the subject (who recently celebrated his 55th birthday) is in semi-retirement from the supervillain business, but the subject remains a class two threat to world security.

**Interrogation: **Subject has thus far evaded interrogation.

**Surveillance:** Full time surveillance attempted for 1 month. Four agents treated for dachshund bites. No sign of contact with suspect.

**Recommendation:** Reduce surveillance efforts to electronic-only.

* * *

"This is ridiculous, Shego." Betty Director's jaw was set.

"My secret lair, my rules." The green woman shrugged. "And since I want to keep the 'secret' part of 'secret lair', that means you hero-types have to wear blindfolds." She held up the thick strips of black cloth.

"We're as much fugitives as you are!" The older woman protested. "What would we have to gain from betraying your location?"

"Fugitives you may be, but you're still heroes in your heads." Shego said firmly. "You might 'accidentally' let the authorities know about this place."

Doctor Director bristled at the green woman's suggestion, but her angry retort was cut off when Kim reached up to put her hand on her former boss's arm. The younger woman was curled sideways in one of the hover-saucer's seats, doing her best to keep her crudely bandaged back from touching anything.

"It's not that big a deal, Betty. Let's just do as Shego asks."

If anything, the green woman looked more surprised by the redhead's words than Doctor Director did. Shego narrowed her eyes.

"You're really going to go along with this, Pumpkin?"

"Sure." Kim started to nod, then stopped with a wince of pain. "You just busted Betty out of jail and carried me up a two hundred foot shaft. If this is what you want, I think we owe it to you to do it. You with me, Betty?" She glanced at Doctor Director The older woman sighed, obviously unhappy with the thought, but eventually nodded.

"Huh." Shego scowled. Somehow the idea of blindfolding Princess and Old Iron Panties was a lot less appealing if they were just going to go along with it. "I guess we don't need them after all. It's just a time share lair, anyway."

Ignoring the amused and annoyed looks she got from Kim and Betty respectively, the green woman slid the old hover-saucer into a long, looping descent. Despite the pursuit of the US Air Force, Shego's exceptional piloting skills, together with the saucer's stealth capabilities and true hover capability, had allowed them to successfully slip away from Facility D. A quick run for the Wasatch Mountains had been all it took: once amidst the peaks and valleys, the pursuing fighters' superior speed had been nullified. Shego had flitted the saucer southwards for just over four hours, and they were now just above one of the many lairs she maintained.

"We're somewhere in northern Mexico, right?" Kim's twisted posture meant that she was more or less forced to look out over the side of the saucer. She caught the sharp look Shego sent at her. "We've been following the Rio Grande for over an hour, and now we're south of it. It wasn't that hard to work out, Shego."

The green woman shrugged, still not entirely comfortable with revealing another of her lairs to her two companions, but not willing to show it by re-opening the blindfold debate.

"Yeah, we turned south-west just before we reached El Paso." She admitted as they came in sight of a cluster of nondescript gray warehouses. "HenchCo has a block of time share lairs down here. It's the closest good choice for a temporary hideout: Jack Hench won't give us up to GJ, and that bitch Lynn doesn't know about it, so she won't give away the location, either." As she spoke, Shego leaned over and opened a panel in the saucer's control board. Betty Director's eyebrows shot up.

"Is that a garage remote?"

"Gotta park somewhere, Betty." Shego smirked as she thumbed the button. Below them, the door of one of the warehouses began to slowly crank open. The pale woman cut the saucer's lift to minimum, dropping the vehicle until it was hovering only a few feet above the ground, then sent it skittering into lair.

* * *

""Damn it, this is the problem with time share lairs." Shego sighed. "Villains are always too cheap to pay for removalists."

Crates and sacks were stacked haphazardly across half of the lair's cavernous interior. A stale, slightly fetid smell permeated the air, strongest near the sacks.

"Bite Me brand dog food." Kim read one of the labels. "Giant Economy size. 'Guaranteed to provide your animal with all the nutrition it requires, without ruining its appetite for flesh'. I guess you share this place with Falsetto Jones."

Shego shook her head.

"It's probably Dementor and his mutant wiener dogs. Jones only buys those little gourmet cans of pet food."

"Makes sense." Kim peered around. "What's the layout of this place?"

"This is the main work space. Henchmen, doomsday weapons, vehicles ... they all go here." Shego waved her finger in a little circle to indicate the space they were in, then started to point. "Kitchen in the back corner. Bathroom facilities are through the door on the right. Private bedrooms are also down there. There's only two, so you and Betty will have to share."

"Is there an infirmary?"

"Nah. Standard HenchCo contract include private hospital cover."

"Oh." Kim frowned. "Somewhere clean and flat to lie down, then? I need to get this injury dealt with."

"Kitchen." Shego led the other two women to the room she'd indicated earlier, gesturing at the benches, cupboards and refrigerator. The center of the room was dominated by a pair of large tables, each flanked by plastic chairs. "Use the table on the left. We'll eat off the one on the right."

"Is there actually any food here?" Kim asked.

"Nothing fancy ... but yeah, there should be some canned and freeze-dried stuff. It's part of the time share agreement."

"Spankin'. I'm starving." Kim began to pull off her shirt, moving slowly to avoid pulling at her wound. Doctor Director had patched it with bandages, but a hover-saucer moving at two hundred miles an hour was not really the place for delicate medical procedures. "Maybe you can put something on to cook while Rojo cleans up this wound?"

Shego blinked. She'd just opened her mouth to make a caustic remark about not being the domestic help when the redhead's casual disrobing derailed her thought process.

"Don't you want ... uh, some privacy, or something, while he does that?" She gestured vaguely at Kim's sports-bra clad figure. The redhead shrugged.

"No big. You've both seen me in my underwear before. Heck, Betty's seen me naked at least a half dozen times."

Shego gaped, quite literally speechless. Kim couldn't help herself, bursting into a giggle at the green woman's astonished expression. Betty, on the other hand, coughed to hide her smile, then straightened her face before turning to Shego.

"Global Justice has communal showers and locker rooms." She explained. "Even desk jockeys like me have to take refresher courses in hand to hand combat every month, and Ms Possible was one of the designated training officers."

"Communal?" Shego raised an eyebrow. "Guys too?"

"Separate facilities for each gender, pervert." Kim's grin grew wider. "C'mon, Shego. You've been in prison. You must've been naked in a room full of women a few times, at least."

"Well, sure." Shego allowed. Now that she stopped to think about it, the green woman wasn't really sure _why_ she was making a fuss about Kim's half-dressed state. Maybe it was just surprise. "I guess I just don't expect _you_ to be this blasé about public nudity, Pumpkin."

"It's just the three of us, Shego." The redhead gave a small flick of her hand. "It's not like I'm planning on running topless through Times Square, or anything like that."

Even Betty Director looked surprised at that mental image. For his part, Rojo glanced back and forth between the three women, then shrugged. Humans were weird.

"Acuéstese." The mole rat told Kim sternly.

"Yes, mother." The former teen hero gave the rodent a fond smile, then lay face down, as instructed.

Rojo snapped on a pair of tiny plastic gloves, then liberally slathered antiseptic ointment all over the wound. Then he changed to a fresh pair of gloves and picked up a surgical needle, already threaded and ready for use. A focused expression on his face, the mole rat pushed the needle through the damaged flesh on Kim's back, then leapt over the wound and grabbed the sharp metal implement from the other side, dragging it out with a miniature grunt of effort.

Kim, lying with her head pillowed on her arms, glanced across at her two companions and almost laughed out loud at the matching expressions of fascinated disquiet on their faces.

"So not the drama." She assured them. "Rojo knows he's doing. He stitched up Shego just a few days ago."

Betty shot a startled look at the green woman. Shego smoothed her expression to blandness and gave a nonchalant shrug.

"Rat's actually got a pretty neat hand." Only the fact that she looked slightly more green than usual suggested that Shego was finding _watching_ Rojo's work a little more disturbing than being its subject.

Rojo muttered something as he worked, of which the only word to reach his spectators was 'bueno'. Shego raised an eyebrow.

"Your little friend got something to say, Princess?"

"Just that you were a good patient." Kim twisted her head to give Rojo an affectionate grin over her shoulder, then turned back to Shego. "I think carrying me out of Facility D may have won you some brownie points with my little guy. Me too, of course." She flashed a grateful smile.

Shego shrugged, as always a little discomforted by praise for a good deed.

"Not a big deal, Pumpkin. The mole rat weighs almost as much as you do."

Kim chuckled, then caught a thoughtful look on Doctor Director's face.

"Something wrong, Betty?"

"What?" Doctor Director's thoughts had apparently been elsewhere. "Oh ... I was just wondering when you were going to make that sales pitch you mentioned, Kimberley."

Kim shrugged, earning a chatter of rebuke from Rojo as the mole rat struggled to maintain his balance.

"We can do it now, if you like."

Doctor Director shot a glance at Shego. The green woman returned the look and raised an eyebrow.

"What? Don't mind me. I'm just going to make us all some dinner, like a good little hostess. I won't be listening in at all." Now that her initial outrage at being asked to cook was past, Shego had to admit she was hungry, too.

"Liar." Kim accused, without rancor. Shego flashed a smirk at her, then turned to the pantry and began to investigate what food was available.

"Criminal mastermind, Princess. Comes with the territory." Shego glanced at Doctor Director. "Don't worry, Betty. You can talk safely in front of me. If I was going to screw you guys over, I woulda found an easier way to do it."

The older woman gave a reluctant nod.

"I suppose that makes sense." She stepped around in front of Kim, so the redhead wouldn't have to turn to look at her. "I have to warn you, Ms Possible ... I've committed my whole adult life to Global Justice. I won't betray it."

Kim lifted her head to look at Betty, tucking her elbows under her shoulders for better support.

"Hasn't Global Justice already been betrayed?" She asked. "Not by you ... not even by me ... but by the very people who run it."

"You mean the Council? I don't agree with all their decisions, Kimberley, but the Council _can't_ betray Global Justice ... it's _their_ organization."

Kim shook her head.

"No. GJ doesn't belong to the Council. It belongs to the people it is supposed to protect. 'To safeguard the lives and liberties of the peoples of its member nations' –"

"- 'and to uphold the international rule of law'. I remember the Global Justice charter, Kimberley."

"I don't think the Council do." Kim said, as she unflinchingly looked the older woman in the eye. "Whose liberty was protected by imprisoning you, Betty? Whose life was safeguarded by ordering my death? What law did you breach by trying to save a woman's life?"

"Kimberley, the Council ..."

"The Council is entrusted to run Global Justice according to the objectives for whish GJ was formed." Kim ignored Betty's attempt to speak. "They have broken that trust. They built Facility D, against your advice ... the advice of GJ's own chief agent. They tried to have me killed." The younger woman saw the startled rise of Doctor Director's eyebrows. "The Council ordered Shego and I sent back to Veligrua for trial, Betty. We both know how that would have ended, and so did they."

"So you think the Council have lost sight of Global Justice's true purpose, and you want me to join you because you know how it _should_ be run?"

"No."

Betty blinked. That wasn't the answer she'd expected. Kim smiled slightly at the older woman's stunned expression, and went on to explain.

"I don't think the Council has 'lost sight of' GJ's purpose. I think they have deliberately abandoned it. I think they are making the decisions that are best for them personally, not for GJ or for the world."

"So you _do_ think you could do a better job of making those decisions."

"Better than the current Council? Absolutely." Kim's nod was emphatic. "But I'm not asking you to join me because I think I have all the answers, Betty. I'm asking you to join me because I know I _don't_. I know I'm too altruistic. Too idealistic. I need someone who can rein me in. Someone who can tell me when I'm being unrealistic."

"You know, Kimmie." Shego paused in the middle of pouring pasta into a pan of boiling water. "If you just needed someone to tell you when you were being an idiot, I would have signed up for the job."

"This is a role that needs a realist, not a cynic." Kim wrinkled her nose at the green woman, who smirked unrepentantly. The redhead turned her attention back to Doctor Director. "You did a lot of good while you were at GJ, Betty. I know we didn't always agree about what should be done, but I always knew you made your decisions with the right reasons in your heart. I don't believe that's true of the Council. We both know you're never going to be able to go back to GJ, so why not work with me? I'm offering you the chance to do more good ... and to provide a check on what I do. You'll let me know if I step over the line. You'll keep my goals and methods sane."

"Talk about your lost causes." Shego quipped, emptying two cans of tomatoes into a saucepan. The comment got the pale woman a baleful glance from dark green eyes, but Kim did not otherwise respond, her attention still focused on Doctor Director.

"Look at it this way, Betty." She concluded. "Now you're out of Facility D, I know you'll want to do what you can to keep helping people. And so will I. We can work separately, or we can work together. We'll get more done as a team, and I think you'll help me focus my efforts ... I've been doing this for a year now, and while I've made a lot of people uncomfortable, I haven't really forced any changes. I think with your experience, and my physical abilities, we can really make a difference."

"Thank you, Kimberley. I think that's the nicest way anyone's ever found to tell me 'you're too old for this game'." Betty smiled when Kim reddened, and cut the younger woman off before she could stammer an apology. "It's quite alright. I do have some life in me yet, but I won't pretend I'm in the same physical class as you or Shego. The two of you can do things I couldn't even do in my prime."

"You don't have to give me an answer now. Just think about it." Kim asked.

"I've already thought about it. There wasn't much else to do on the flight down here." The former head of Global Justice glanced at Shego. "It's not really possible to have a conversation on one of those hover-saucers when it's going at full speed, after all."

"Drakken never was one for the details." The green woman shrugged. "Besides, I always considered not being able to hear him talk a design feature, not a flaw."

"So what have you decided?" Kim asked Betty.

The older woman gave the redhead a nod of acceptance.

"I'm willing to try combining our efforts. If it doesn't work out, we can always go our separate ways again."

"Aw, don't split up the band already." Shego rolled her eyes as she ladled pasta and sauce into three bowls. "You only just got back together."

"Thanks, Betty." Kim ignored the caustic interruption. "I appreciate it." She twisted her head to look over her shoulder. "How you doing, Rojo?"

"Hecho."

"That's my little guy." The former teen hero waited for the mole rat to hop off her back, then swung herself upright. "Oooh. Pasta!"

"It isn't anything fancy." Shego grumbled, thrusting bowls into hands. "Just whatever was in the pantry."

"It's good." Kim assured the green woman, shoveling a spoonful of the mixture into her mouth, before offering the bowl to Rojo. The mole rat grabbed one of the pasta spirals, dripping withy sauce, in both paws, then suctioned it down with a murmur of pleasure.

"Well, I'm glad I can be of _some_ use."

"C'mon, Shego." Kim tilted her head to one side, her food temporarily forgotten. "You know I couldn't have gone into Facility D without you. Hell, I wouldn't have made it out of GJ's hands without your help."

"You saved my ass, I saved yours. Same goes for you, Betty." She slid her gaze to the older woman. "We're even, now."

Doctor Director shrugged.

"I never considered you as owing me."

"Yeah, you probably didn't." Shego shook her head, and took a spoonful of pasta. She gave a little quick of her lips. It wasn't as bad as she'd feared. A little bland, probably from the powdered herbs being stale, but palatable.

"What are your plans now, Shego?" Kim asked, as she offered Rojo another piece of pasta. The green woman shrugged.

"You really don't want to know, Cupcake."

"Veligrua, then." The redhead nodded. "To even the scores with Lynn."

Shego grunted noncommittally. Kim nibbled on her lip, then shook her head.

"It's not a good idea, Shego."

"Thanks for the concern, Princess, but the bitch nearly killed me. I plan to return the favor."

"You know ... we're going to Veligrua, too." Kim mused. "To try and do something about Harker."

"Have fun with that."

"Shego ... you can't just go after Lynn."

"You know, I'm pretty sure I _can_."

"You can't be sure which of your contacts are still reliable, and which have been turned by GJ or Veligruan Security." Kim protested. "If you go back there alone, you'll almost certainly get caught. And for what? Revenge?"

"She. Shot. Me." Bright green eyes flashed, and a lick of flame rolled around Shego's fingers before winking out. "I owe her some payback."

"Sometimes, when you go after revenge, you do things you regret."

"Riiight." A dark eyebrow shot up as scorn crept into Shego's tone. "And you'd know this _how_, little Miss Priss?"

"Because I did it to you."

That had to mean the night at Bueno Nacho. The green woman paused, momentarily knocked off balance by the guilt in the younger woman's voice. Then she frowned, letting her anger flare up.

"Yeah? Well I got over it, and so should you. Stop being so damn emotional."

"At least some of us _have_ emotions." The other woman shot back, an angry red flush in her cheeks.

_Crack_. The ceramic bowl in Shego's hand shattered from a sudden burst of plasma. The green woman looked almost calmly at the charred pasta dripping through her fingers, then silently walked out of the room.

"Shit." Kim buried her head in her hands, then stood and grabbed her shirt. "That was stupid of me. I'd better go apologize."

"I think it might be best if you and Shego spent a few minutes apart so you can both calm down." Betty Director put down her half-finished meal and gently rested a hand on Kim's shoulder. "You finish your pasta. I'll talk to Shego."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the delay in posting this chapter. I'd love to claim it was because I was busy, but mainly it was due to spending most of my free time in the last two weeks reading Melissa Good's Xena fanfic. :-)

So Kim has Betty on board ... at least on a trial basis ... but issues have flared up between her and Shego. Can Betty soothe the ruffled feathers?

I first came across the nickname "Old Iron Panties" for Betty in eoraptor's "A Blonde Moment". I'm not sure if it originated with him or elsewhere, but it sounded perfectly like something Shego would call her, so I've yoinked it for use here.


	17. Two Words

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0036

**Name:** William Du

**Known Aliases:** Will Du, Hao Yu Du, "Du it by the Book".

**Relation to Suspect:** Former Colleague.

**Location:** Global Justice Headquarters.

**Biography: **After graduating from Upperton University with a Criminal Justice degree, the subject spent two years at Quantico, before being recruited to Global Justice. Subject possessed excellent technical skills and training, proved a successful field agent, and was first agent to be partnered on a mission with the suspect (Case Ref KILLID-02-001). Subject was injured during the Lorwardian Invasion (Case Ref ALIENS-07-003) and was hospitalized for eight weeks. Spinal damage from the injury puts subject at severe risk of paralysis if exposed to field operations. Accordingly, subject transferred to administrative role after release from hospital. Subject has received exceptional performance reviews in this role.

**Interrogation: **Subject stated belief that suspect's actions were "well-meaning, though misguided" and expressed hope that suspect could be peaceably persuaded to end her activities.

**Surveillance:** Full time surveillance conducted for 1 month. No sign of contact with suspect, or with any other persons outside Global Justice, except for the subject's mother.

**Recommendation:** Discontinue surveillance efforts.

**Additional Note:** _GJ Governing Council Eyes Only_. Subject adheres rigidly to regulations and procedures. Psychological testing indicates subject has limited imagination, and a deeply ingrained respect for authority. Subject is a suitable candidate for a senior administrative post assisting the new Chief of Operations.

* * *

Shego turned at the knock on her door, a caustic remark bubbling its way to her lips, then paused when she realized her visitor was not who she expected. She gave Doctor Director a dour glare.

"What do you want, Betty? Pumpkin too ashamed to come apologize for herself?"

"Kimberley had intended to apologize to you immediately, but I suggested to her that she would find you more receptive to such an approach if she waited until your anger had a chance to cool."

"Huh." Shego folded her arms. "So why aren't you following your own advice?"

Doctor Director deliberately resisted the urge to cross her own arms in response, keeping her body language relaxed and open.

"Because I'm not the one who made you angry."

"I'm not exactly in a receptive mood for a recruitment speech from _anyone_, Betty."

"Perhaps not." The former head of Global Justice agreed, calmly. "But I think I can persuade you to listen to what I have to say. I have information Kimberley does not possess."

The green woman raised an eyebrow.

"It'd have to be pretty impressive to make me sit through another sales pitch." She accused. Betty merely nodded, seemingly unconcerned by the comment. Shego scowled. "Fine. You got two minutes to tell me what you think is so damn important, before I kick you out of my room."

Betty Director laughed.

"Two minutes? I only need two words."

"Two words? Gimme a break –"

"Ruth Lees."

Shego stopped, cutting off in mid-sentence. Green flame flickered around fingers suddenly balled into fists. Finally, the green woman doused the flames and gave the apparently casual Doctor Director a sour look. When she spoke again, it was in a grim tone.

"Long time since I heard that name. What about her?"

"She's the new Chief of Operations for Global Justice."

"Huh. Well, good for her, I guess. It's a big step up from being a Go City alderman." Shego made a great show of being unconcerned by this news.

"She's hardly a friend of yours, either."

The green woman waved off the objection.

"What Lees did to me is old news. Worked out for the best, anyway."

"What she did to you and Team Go may be old news." Betty Director cocked her head to one side. "But she was also the driving force behind hiring you to hunt Ms Possible –"

"Nice of her to throw work my way."

"- because there was a high probability one or both of you would be killed in the process."

Shego blinked.

"What?"

"She was also the one behind the attempted recall of your brothers when they went to help you on Veligrua." Doctor Director continued. "And the one who authorized your and Kimberley's extradition back to the island."

Shego growled, taking two rapid steps forward to bring herself nose to nose with the older woman.

"You got any proof of this, Director? Or am I just supposed to take your word for it?"

"It's all there in the Global Justice files." Betty said calmly. Her lips quirked a little at the narrowed look she got in return. "Don't worry, I can show you the proof. I have several back doors into the system, in case the organization was ever subverted. I chose not to disclose them to my successor."

"Huh." Shego exhaled thoughtfully. "We'll make a criminal of you yet, Betty." The green woman paused, then shook her head. "I don't get it. It's been eighteen years since I even heard her name, but it sounds as if Lees is still gunning for me like it was yesterday. What's she got such a bug up her ass about?"

"I have a theory." Betty glanced at the room's single chair. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Go ahead." Shego waved her hand, then sprawled back on the bed as the older woman took a seat. "So what's your theory?"

"What do you know about Lees's background?"

"Not that much." The green woman rested her head on her right hand and examined the nails of her left. "Her parents were big business moguls, or something, but she was orphaned as a kid, right?" She glanced at Betty, who nodded. "Became a big media darling as the 'orphaned heiress'. Turned that into a political career when she hit twenty-one, using her dead parents' money and banging on about law enforcement and saving the children of Go City from her own fate. Got elected as an alderman and spent the next few years making life a misery for Team Go."

"Ever wonder why she did that?"

"Because she was a bitch."

"Come on, Shego. You're smarter than that." Betty made a steeple of her fingers. "Why would someone who was elected on a crime-fighting ticket spend so much time making life difficult for a team of superheroes?"

Shego shrugged.

"She used to make a lot of speeches about how we contributed to violence in the city. Said vigilantism was a symptom of the disease, not a cure for it."

"And what did you think of that?"

"I thought she was full of shit." Shego gave a grim chuckle at the look on Doctor Director's face. "You asked, Betty. I figured she just wanted us under her thumb. She was always banging on about how if we really wanted to serve the city, we should join the police force. Didn't like having us running around doing our own thing."

"I agree that she wanted to get Team Go under her control." Betty nodded, "But I believe the reasons were more personal than you think. Do you know how her parents died?"

"Mugging, wasn't it?"

"Yes. They were at the opera, and left early by a side door into an alley way ... we're not sure why they left or why they took that exit. In any case, a mugger who was waiting in the alley pulled a revolver on them and demanded their money and jewelry."

"And then he shot them."

Betty shook her head.

"And then a vigilante calling himself the 'Lightbringer' turned up and tried to stop the crime. He had some kind of device that he used to dazzle the crook, and the startled mugger opened fire at him, pretty much blind. Stray bullets killed Ruth's mother instantly, and put her father in a coma. He never woke up."

"So what ... you think she blamed this Lightbringer idiot for her parents' death, and transferred that to Team Go? Why not blame the guy who was actually committing a crime?"

"The mugger in question was a man named Joseph McCool. He'd never physically harmed one of his victims in the past. And he was so overcome with shame over what he'd done that he committed suicide a few weeks later. So do you blame that guy, or the guy who spent another five years as a media-darling before being caught in bed with another man's wife and several ounces of cocaine?"

"Ah."

"Exactly."

Shego sat upright and grabbed a fistful of hair, tugging at it with a sour expression on her face.

"So ... the new head of GJ has a pathological hatred of vigilante heroes. Hell, she probably figures vigilantes are all really criminals."

"Yes." Betty nodded.

"And Princess and I are pretty much the poster children for 'vigilante heroes turned criminal'. At least, if you buy Kimmie's Robin Hood act as really being criminal."

"Yes."

"Shit."

"Yes."

Shego snorted at the calm reply.

"So your angle on this is what ... that Lees is going to throw all of GJ's resources at Pumpkin and me, and we'd have a better chance together than alone?"

"Exactly."

"And I should be worried, why? You were after me for more than ten years. The only person who ever caught me is the do-gooder redhead out in the other room."

"Because Lees will come after you in a way I never did. The most I ever used was a handful of agents to chase you." Doctor Director answered calmly. "You weren't a priority."

"Not a priority? I was the world's most wanted criminal!"

"Yes, you were. But while your crimes made for interesting reading when I got the reports, they weren't ..." Betty grasped for the right word.

"Stupid?" Shego suggested. "Crazy? I get what you're saying, Betty. I wasn't building killer robots or stealing mind control rays. I was stealing gold and diamonds. The only people screaming for my head were the insurance companies."

The older woman narrowed her eyes.

"... you knew that, didn't you? That by sticking to targets that were financially valuable but militarily and politically insignificant, you'd not be a priority for Global Justice."

"Doy." Shego flipped back her hair and gave a lazy smirk. "I _do_ have a brain, despite what my sticking with Drakken for so long might make you think. It wasn't the _reason_ I chose the targets I did, but I did know it would be a consequence."

"I always wondered why you never made a play for world conquest."

"What would I do with the world? It'd just need looking after. If I wanted to be responsible for something, I'd buy a dog. A few million dollars in gold bullion, though? That I can find a use for." Shego's lips curled up as she recalled some of the more outrageous uses she'd found for her money.

"So why did you agree to chase Kimberley? It meant putting yourself back in the game you'd left. You were risking ... well ..." Betty gestured around them, "You were risking exactly what happened."

Shego paused, clearly deciding whether or not to answer the question. Finally, she shrugged.

"I've got more money than even I can spend. Or I did. Who knows what's left since Lynn turned her coat. Point is ... I was bored. And boredom was never something I had to worry about when I was tangling with Pumpkin."

"Well, if you were looking for excitement, you got it."

"And how." Shego exhaled. "So that's your pitch? That I should sign on with Kimmie's crusade because we'll stand a better chance of staying ahead of GJ if we work together?"

"My pitch is that you should work with us because the rules have changed. I assigned agents based on the severity of the threat to world security. Lees hates you ... hates all three of us. Plus, she got her position thanks to your capture. She's got all her prestige and pride on the line. She'll come after us with everything she has."

"So maybe we'd be better apart. Force her to split her resources."

"Or just let her pick us off one at a time."

"Maybe." Shego folded her arms. Betty's argument was more persuasive than she wanted to admit. "That all you got?"

"It's the information I mentioned Kimberley not having. I _do_ have two other reasons you should work together."

"Oh?" Shego gave a flick of her head. "Fine. May as well hear 'em."

"First, because you share common goals."

"What? I haven't got any interest in Pumpkin's little crusade -"

"But you _do_ have an interest in Lynn Andretti. Who works for Harker. Who Kimberley has an interest in toppling."

"I don't need to mess with Harker to beat Lynn bloody."

"Maybe not. But once you've beaten her, what then? She recovers, and goes back to working for Harker. She gets to keep everything she gained by betraying you. Her status, her paycheck ... everything. You really want payback? Take all _that_ away from her."

A dark eyebrow rose.

"Seems you have a mean streak, Betty. Does Kimmie know that the woman she's asked to be her moral compass is quite so ... practical?"

"Come on, Shego. The only person here who thinks Kimberley needs any moral or ethical oversight is Kimberley herself."

The eyebrow, if anything, rose higher.

"You didn't object to her request during her spiel."

"Of course not. Knowing _why_ Kimberley wants my help is an important first step in knowing _how _to help her."

"You never planned to say no, did you?"

The older woman shook her head.

"Not after I agreed to escape from Facility D. A lot of the other things Kimberley said were right on the money. I do still want to help people, and I don't have the resources to do it on my own."

"And you want the best chance to take from Lees what she took from you." Shego guessed shrewdly. Betty nodded.

"Yes, though revenge is not my only motivation for wanting her discredited." The older woman stood up from her seat, then leaned down to massage one knee, giving Shego a chagrined look as she did so. "Twisted it climbing out of the hover saucer ... I also want Lees out because I genuinely believe she'll be bad for Global Justice. I objected to every resource we spent chasing Kimberley, even though I knew we had to do it -"

"Why?"

"If I'd ignored Kimberley's actions completely, it might have been seen as tacit approval for what she was doing ... and that would have sat very badly with the people funding GJ."

"Heh." Shego gave a grim smile when Betty looked at her curiously. "Seems like we've both done things we aren't proud of, for the money. I didn't expect to have that in common."

Doctor Director's face darkened, and she opened her mouth to respond sharply, but then she paused and sighed.

"We all make compromises, Shego. Even Kimberley." Betty saw the surprised look on the pale woman's face. "Not to the same extent that we have, but compromises nonetheless. Or do you really believe that breaking the law ... no matter how noble her reasons ... is something she does without regret?"

"No, I know it isn't." Shego sighed. "What was the second reason?"

"Pardon?"

"You said you had two other reasons I should help Princess. You only ever told me the first one: that we have common goals."

"Oh, right." Betty nodded. "The second reason is because you want to."

"What the fu-"

"I may only have one eye, but its vision is 20/20." Betty interrupted, raising her voice a little to override Shego's objection. "I've seen the way you two interact. You can lie about it to Kimberley and maybe you can lie about it to yourself, but don't bother lying about it to me. I ran agents for fifteen years. I can tell when a relationship is more than professional."

"I'm not –"

"Her friend?" Betty cut in once more, but her tone was gentle, despite its firmness. "You're right ... you're not her friend. Not yet. But you could be. I can tell Kimberley wants it."

Shego scowled.

"I don't do friendships."

"I know." Betty nodded. "I've read interviews with the people you went to college with; Drakken's henchmen; Drakken himself; men you've picked up on holidays; criminal accomplices and contacts by the dozen. Not one of them ever got inside –"

"If all the guys told you that, some of them were lying. I guess chivalry isn't dead."

"Inside _here_." Betty tapped Shego's forehead, then winced as her hand was slapped away. "Or here." She pointed at Shego's chest, but didn't touch, her fingers still stinging from the slap.

"No, they didn't. And neither will you. We are _not_ having a heart to heart, Betty."

"No, we aren't." The older woman agreed. "I'm not asking you to explain yourself. I'm not asking you to share your feelings with me. Honestly, an old warhorse like me wouldn't know what to say about 'em if you did." Despite her words, the former head of Global Justice was pleased to see the self-deprecating comment bring a flicker of a smile to Shego's lips. "Look. Just consider this: working together makes sense. It's our best chance to beat Lees, to beat Lynn, and to beat Harker. So what do you say?"

Shego scowled. Then, finally, she sighed.

"Fine. I'm in."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Some insights into Shego's past, as well as that of Ruth Lees. With apologies to Bob Kane for the quite deliberate theft and corruption of a certain comic book origin story :)


	18. Back into the Fray

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0033

**Name:** Edward Lipsky

**Known Aliases:** Motor Ed, The Man with the Golden Mullet

**Relation to Suspect:** Former adversary.

**Location:** Global Justice Custody.

**Biography: **At one time a respected mechanical engineer, the subject came into conflict with his employers and colleagues due to his attitude and attire. Going rogue, the subject became the criminal world's number one mechanic. The subject had several encounters with the suspect during the suspect's high school career, and was arrested on each occasion. Subject's crimes generally related to his obsession with high speed vehicles. From 2009 through 2012, the subject was the organizer of a series of dangerous and illegal cross-country races held throughout the continental United States. Subject retired from criminal activity after having a son (Max) with fellow racer Jetta Speed, but returned to criminal activities in 2015, after the relationship ended.

**Interrogation: **Subject showed no interest in suspect's whereabouts or activities, but did opine that the suspect's Peregrine Suit was a "sweet ride".

**Surveillance:** Full time surveillance conducted for 1 month. During this time, subject attempted to steal a prototype of Global Justice's new high-speed all-terrain pursuit vehicle, and was arrested. Subject explained the motivation for the theft as: "Awesome dune buggy, Justice Dude. Seriously!"

**Recommendation:** Discontinue surveillance efforts while subject remains in custody.

* * *

The Global Justice guard never even knew what happened. A dark figure dropped down behind him, landing with less noise than a cat, then snapped off a crescent kick that knocked him cold in an instant.

A second black-clad shape, taller and more voluptuously female than the first, jogged out of the shadows. She pointed along the building to the right, then held up two fingers, then curled them down with her other hand. The first figure nodded, holding up two fingers of her own, then pointed at the fallen guard and curled one finger down.

The taller figure gave the single raised digit a thoughtful look, then flipped up her own middle finger in response, prompting the more slightly-built woman to choke down a snort of laughter.

"Shego!" The figure leaned close to her companion and hissed at a barely audible volume. "Behave!"

"Shhhm, Pumpkin. Covert mission, remember? Gotta be stealthy." The green woman's response was just as low, although the black cloth over her mouth didn't disguise the smirk in her voice even slightly.

Kim rolled her eyes, the gesture going unseen behind the dark glass of her night-vision goggles. Quite deliberately, she raised only her forefinger, palm facing toward Shego, then pointed to the left. She tapped her own chest, then pointed left again and curled her finger down.

Shego waved her hand in acknowledgment, then meaningfully tapped her wrist, smirking behind her mask when a tiny black-masked shape emerged from the pocket of Kim's suit and flipped her a miniature bird in return. The redhead herself waved off the reminder to hurry, then slipped away into the darkness in search of the last guard. The pale woman watched her colleague go, then blended back into the shadows, resting comfortably against the wall.

The plasma-powered woman had to fight down the urge to whistle a jaunty tune, she was so thoroughly amused by the whole situation. After all, how often did _Betty Director_ send a renowned criminal to steal a bomb?

* * *

Two days earlier, Shego and Betty returned to the kitchen to find Kim mopping up the last of the plasma-spattered pasta from the floor. The redhead gave them a tentative smile.

"I'm sorry." She apologized to the green woman, who snorted.

"You should be."

"Shego." Betty gave the pale woman a level stare. The former supervillain shrugged, but cleared her throat.

"Apology accepted, Pumpkin." She muttered, then shot a look at Doctor Director. "Okay. We're all friends again now, Betty. Happy?"

"Ecstatic." The older woman's tone was dry as she pulled back one of the kitchen chairs and sat down, stretching her twisted knee out before her.

"I really am sorry, Shego. It was a ferociously dumb thing to say." Kim paused. "Uh, if you're still hungry, there's plenty more pasta on the stove."

"I know, Pumpkin. I made it, remember?" The green woman pulled a new bowl from the cupboards and ladled out a fresh supply of food for herself. "So Betty and I have agreed to sign up for this shindig. How do you see it working? Because I gotta warn you, if want to give me orders, I expect full dental and at least eight weeks' paid vacation a year."

The redhead squinted at the green woman, not sure if Shego was serious. Catching the hint of a smirk on the older woman's dark lips, Kim drew a slow breath and allowed herself to relax, just a fraction.

"I don't see any reason to change the way we've already been doing things ... we work well together in the field and we both know what we're doing. I say we just keep doing it."

Shego nodded, giving a grunt of acknowledgment rather than try to talk through a mouthful of pasta. Betty cleared her throat.

"And what do you see my role being, Kimberley? I'm not foolish enough to think you need an old woman's help in the field."

"If you're going to make a habit of finding a fire-axe at just the right moment, I might." The redhead gave a brief smile. "But what I really hope you can help me with is planning and strategy. Since I've left GJ ... I've helped a lot of people who wouldn't otherwise have been helped. And I'm proud of that, don't get me wrong ... but I don't feel like I'm changing things. Even in Veligrua, which is a tiny country, and even with my contacts with the resistance ... I haven't really _changed_ anything. Harker's still in charge. People are still arrested just for speaking their minds or because of who they choose to love ..." Kim trailed off, her brow furrowing as she succumbed to a moment of concern about Maria and her friends.

Betty nodded.

"I was actually thinking about just that matter on the flight down here." She admitted, giving a grim smile at Kim's wide-eyed surprise. "It wasn't like conversation was an option, after all. I have a few ideas, if you'd like to hear them."

* * *

Shego smirked. Betty's "few ideas" had turned out to be the beginning of a four hour planning session. She had to give the former head of Global Justice credit; while Shego considered herself pretty sneaky, the older woman had a mind that thought around corners.

The plasma-powered woman had called Doctor Director on the fact, jibing that she would never have stayed out of GJ's hands if Betty had displayed such craftiness in her time there. The older woman simply smiled. "I had to play by the rules then, Shego. Now the gloves are off." Seeing the smile, Shego had been very glad she and Betty were on the same team, now.

Kim reappeared from the gloom, moving with a silent grace that tweaked Shego's pride. The green woman took considerable pains to keep herself in shape, but next to the redhead she felt every extra inch of height and pound of weight. Suppressing the mild sense of irritation, she flashed a questioning hand sign, getting a thumbs up in reply, then a casual wave of the hand that clearly meant "So not the drama".

Rolling her eyes, even though she knew the other woman couldn't see the expression, Shego led the way to the nearest door and punched in the entry code. They had Betty to thank for the information: the code had been pulled straight out of Global Justice's most secure databases, thanks to Doctor Director's secret 'back door' into the system.

Of course, they had to cover their tracks on how they'd got the information. Betty's access to GJ's files would be no good once Global Justice knew about it. So Doctor Director had slipped a false entry into the system logs, showing access by an agent she'd had under investigation for corrupt practices. Coupled with a wire transfer from an anonymous account of Shego's to the agent's own bank, the results looked like an inexpertly-hidden piece of espionage.

Predictably, Kim had been uncomfortable with the thought of framing the man. Betty had given the redhead's qualms short shrift. "He may not have done this, but the investigation had turned up plenty of evidence of bribes he _has_ taken." She'd explained distractedly, as her fingers flew over the keyboard. "He's not getting anything he doesn't deserve."

Yeah. Shego was damn glad Betty was on her side, now.

* * *

"Tell me, Kimberley." Doctor Director had begun their conversation, as she gazed at the younger woman over the rim of her coffee cup. The redhead fought the urge to fidget under the regard of the older woman's single, dark eye. She felt almost like she was at a job interview, which was a ridiculous feeling to have. "What are your goals?"

Or maybe not _that_ ridiculous.

"My goals?"

"Yes. You've asked me to join you to help you 'do good', in the world. What specifically did you have in mind?"

"Um ... immediately, or long term?"

"Both. But start with the immediate plans."

"Go to Veligrua and make sure Maria and her friends are okay. Get them out of trouble if they aren't. Re-establish my connections with the Veligruan resistance –"

"What can they do?"

"Huh?" Kim stopped, then frowned, not liking the way Doctor Director seemed to be discounting Sancho and his organization.

"It's a serious question, Kimberley, not an insult. What resources does the resistance have?"

"Oh ... they have safe houses. Access to fake documents. Medical supplies ..."

"Weapons?"

The younger woman paused, clearly uncomfortable.

"Yes. But –"

"Wait." Betty held up a hand. Kim stopped, then reddened, feeling a flush of anger at being so rudely interrupted. The former head of Global Justice lowered her hand and gave a sheepish smile. "My apologies, Kimberly. That was rude of me. I'm used to being the boss, and it may take me some time to get used to acting like a colleague, rather than a superior. May I say something before you continue?"

"Sure." Kim sat back in her chair, folding her arms defensively over her chest and doing her best to ignore the smirking Shego, who was clearly enjoying the redhead's discomfort.

"I'm aware of your aversion to the use of lethal force. To a large extent, I share it, and I certainly have no plans to start a war. But it may not be up to us. Do you agree with me that the only way to truly improve conditions in Veligrua is to end Harker's regime?" The older woman waited for Kim's nod, then continued. "So far, your activities have embarrassed Harker, but they haven't really threatened his hold on power. I think we can develop a plan that _will _put his regime under pressure. But if we do, he may decide to use force."

"He's already used force to try and stop me." Kim objected.

"I don't mean use force against _us_." Betty swept her hand around to indicate all three women in the room. "I mean force against the Veligruan people. You can't be everywhere, Kimberley. And you can't beat an army. Not with only a broken down old desk jockey and the human zippo over there for back-up."

"Hey!" Shego glowered at the dismissive appraisal of her abilities.

"I understand that the resistance might have to defend themselves." Kim answered, looking uncomfortable. "But I won't be the one to start the fighting, Betty. I can't do that. I have enough trouble sleeping at night."

"I know the feeling." The older woman nodded.

"I sleep like a baby." Shego smirked.

"I believe we can come up with a plan that might force Harker out of power, without resorting to force ourselves." Doctor Director kept her attention on Kim and ignored the green woman's comment. "But if we push him to that point, he may use violence to maintain his position. If he does, can the resistance defend the people with the weapons they currently possess?"

Kim sucked in her breath as she considered the question, then gave a reluctant shake of her head.

"Not if he rolled out the army." The redhead admitted. "They have tanks and jets. Old stuff, but certainly more than the resistance can handle."

"The jets are F-5s." Shego offered. She shrugged when Betty and Kim glanced her way. "I stole one the first time I was in Veligrua. I was in a hurry to leave. Nice bird, especially for its age. Sold the engine to one of Motor Ed's goons for him to use in a drag racer."

"Shego's past larcenies aside, Harker's military options leave us with a problem." Betty flicked a bit of dust off her trouser leg. "But not an insurmountable one."

"So how are we going to _mount_ it?" Shego asked, grinning as her deliberately crude emphasis brought a blush to Kim's cheeks. Doctor Director, on the other hand, merely answered the question.

"We start by stealing a bomb."

"A bomb?" Shego blinked, then smirked. "Random property damage, Betty? Doesn't seem like your usual thing."

"We aren't going to detonate it."

"... so we're going to steal a bomb in order to not use it? Where's the fun in that?"

Doctor Director gave a half smile.

"Sometimes, Shego, it's the unexploded bombs that are the most dangerous."

* * *

Shego ducked under the guard's wild swing and snapped the heel of her hand into his jaw, the force of the blow lifting him from the ground. The green woman swept her leg behind her, knocking out the feet of a second guard as he rushed forward. She bounced to her feet with a smothered chuckle of pure joy, leaping into a spinning kick that knocked the man cold. That sweep of her leg had been pure instinct. She certainly hadn't heard the man through the howl of the building's alarm, which seemed barely muffled by the earplugs she'd slipped on immediately before setting it off.

The alarm was an example of Betty thinking around corners. It offended Shego's professional standards to _ever_ trigger an alarm, let alone to do so _deliberately_, but the older woman had insisted.

"Information on the outer security systems is accessible to anyone with appropriate Global Justice clearance." The one-eyed woman had explained. "The last alarm system is top clearance only. Apart from myself, less than half a dozen operatives know it exists. If you don't set it off, Global Justice will know that whoever took the bomb had my help. We want them worried about who has it and what it will be used for."

The upside to setting off the alarm, Shego mused as she slid to the side of another guard's attack, was that she got to beat up on Global Justice agents. That never got old. Still, it was annoying not to be able to use her plasma. Betty had vetoed that outright: too distinctive.

As the guard stumbled, off balance, the green woman hooked his arm and pivoted, using her hip as a pivot to send him flying into two of his companions. All three went down in a heap. The first man was knocked cold, and as the new pair tried to struggle back to their feet, Shego leapt over to them and slammed their heads together. Both guards' eyes rolled back in their heads, and they slumped to the ground, unconscious.

That, unfortunately, seemed to be that. Shego took a moment to smirk under her mask. Over a dozen GJ agents, and she wasn't even breathing hard. The pale woman glanced over at her smaller companion and flashed an inquisitory "OK?" sign, getting an absent-minded thumbs-up in response. The redhead had largely ignored the melee, concentrating on opening the vault door at which she crouched, and trusting to her older companion to deal with the guards. Shego wasn't sure whether to be miffed that she'd been left with all the work, or pleased that Pumpkin knew she could handle it.

Kim gave a nod of satisfaction as the vault door clicked open, then pumped her fist in triumph. Seeing the cloth of the redhead's mask move slightly, the green woman snorted. She'd lay money that Kim had just mouthed the word "Spankin'."

Taking two steps back, the younger woman suddenly launched herself forward, somersaulting into the vault. Energy blasts criss-crossed the open doorway, but the redhead's lithe form easily avoided them. She twisted in mid-air, hands flickering as she hurled tiny nanobombs at the three security lasers within the vault. Three small detonations followed, leaving each laser a smoking ruin.

Shego stepped into the vault with studied nonchalance, then half-turned and gave the vault's single security camera a long, unimpressed look. Then she flicked her own wrist, turning the camera into melted parts with a nanobomb of her own. Kim, meanwhile, had opened a black duffel bag and laid it on the floor. Reaching up, the redhead gingerly picked up the bomb Betty had sent them to retrieve. The device resembled a silver sphere, suspended in a cube of thick black wires. Shego raised an eyebrow. She wasn't sure exactly what the bomb did, but it certainly _looked_ impressive.

Kim didn't stop there, taking down several other small items from the vault shelves, stopping and examining each one with care before she put it into the bag. These additional items were another twist in Betty's plan, and the older woman had spent over an hour coaching the redhead on exactly what to take. Shego couldn't see any connection between the items. Knowing Betty, however, that might be the point. Let GJ spend days trying to work out why those specific items had been taken, rather than more of the presumably powerful explosives.

Finally, Kim nodded her satisfaction with the collection, and gestured for Shego to take the bag. The green woman put her hands on her hips and stared at the redhead, her whole body language asking the question 'why me?'. In answer, the smaller woman pointed at her pale companion, then flexed her bicep and mimed it growing larger, before pointing at Shego once more. The green woman snorted. Relegated to pack horse. That'd teach her to carry Kim's injured ass out of a high security prison.

Oh well, at least Betty was bringing an old friend to the rendezvous.

* * *

"You're going to steal the _Go Jet_?" Shego glared at the multi-colored craft on the computer screen, then at the smirking Betty Director, who sat at the small laptop in their temporary lair. Kim, watching over the older woman's other shoulder, said nothing, but looked just as curious as Shego felt.

"I told you I'd organize transport for after your mission." The former head of Global Justice shrugged. "And she's a high performance craft that I figured you'd know how to pilot. Though a new paint job might be in order."

"She's a great little jet, and I'm the best damn pilot she's ever had." The green woman growled. "But last time I checked, she was in the Go Tower. I admit most of my brothers' security is for shit, but you aren't supposed to be able to get into the tower, let alone fly the jet, without the Go Glow. So how do you plan to take it?"

"Ah." Betty smiled. "When you enjoyed Global Justice's hospitality, I believe you experienced the effects of Dimmer?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, while that compound that was original goal of the project, one of the researchers conducted some additional, unauthorized research, and stumbled across something of an ancillary benefit." The one-eyed woman admitted. She entered a new search into the computer, and the screen display changed to show a pair of strange devices: each was a narrow silver band, from which ran a bundle of fine, metal wires. After a few inches, the wires separated into five distinct strands, each ending in a small loop.

"What are those supposed to be?"

"Go Gloves." Betty selected an icon on the screen, and the image changed to show a man's hand, the silver band around his wrist and the five loops hooked over his fingertips, so that the wires ran along each digit. Green crackles of energy could be seen around the wires.

"You _stole_ the Go Glow? _My_ glow?"

Betty shook her head.

"Not exactly. More synthesized an artificial version. The energy from the gloves can be changed to different wavelengths ..." she demonstrated by selecting other icons, the energy in the images changing to blue, then purple, then red, before switching back to green. "... mimicking the glow possessed by any of the members of Team Go. But the technology was never developed to the point where it duplicated the powers of the actual glow. Someone wearing the gloves can't use your plasma powers, or shrink themselves like Mego -"

"Why would they want to?" Shego snorted her contempt for her brother's power. She folded her arms and glowered at the older woman. "Anything else GJ's been up to with my family that I should know about? There'd better not be any clones."

"No clones. I promise. Not on my watch, anyway. Now ... I doubt Lees would go for it, either. She doesn't like Team Go much. I can't see her wanting more of you." Betty assured the green woman, then nodded at the screen as she continued speaking. "And like I said, this was not an authorized project. This database is the only official record, only a handful of people know the gloves even exist, and only one prototype was ever made. They're in a Global Justice warehouse in Go City. I'll use my system backdoor to delete the database information on the gloves right now. Tomorrow, while you're getting the bomb, I'll acquire the gloves themselves, then enter Go Tower and grab the Go Jet, before meeting you at the rendezvous."

"The only prototype? So if you bring the gloves with you and I slag 'em, Global Justice won't have any others?"

"... correct. Do you want to destroy them?"

The green woman thought about it, then finally sighed.

"No. Might be a time either you or Kimmie -" she gestured at the redhead, who seemed as surprised about the gloves as she was. "- need to fly the jet when I'm not around."

Betty nodded in agreement.

"Sound tactical choice. Speaking of which, there's also a sound tactical reason for stealing the Go Jet, rather than some other vehicle."

"Which is?"

"Go Tower records will show access by Shego's glow, at a time which makes it impossible for you to be involved in the theft of the bomb." Betty's smile turned sly. "Global Justice aren't stupid. A theft committed by two female martial artists, of the right size to be you and Kim? They'd have a good idea you were behind it, even if they don't see your faces and you don't use your powers. But now it will look like you were in Go City at the time. Couple that with the 'reliable reports' I'll slip into their system to indicate that Kim was seen in Go City? Suddenly Lees has a third party in the game, stealing advanced weapons technology. She'll have to pull agents off to pursue a wild goose chase."

Kim frowned.

"So taking the bomb is just a diversion?"

Betty's smile got broader.

"Oh no, Kimberley. It's a _lot_ more than that."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** The ladies will be heading to Veligrua next chapter, to put the second stage of Betty's plan into action. Just what is that plan? Has Kim found the right combination of talents to pull off a bloodless coup in the island state? Will Shego go after Lynn like a loose cannon? Are Sancho and Maria OK? Just why does Rojo think he is a luchador? Some of these questions may actually get answered!


	19. Burritos and Bonding

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0029

**Name:** Steven B. Barkin

**Known Aliases:** Steve Barkin, Stevie

**Relation to Suspect:** High school teacher.

**Location:** Key West, Florida.

**Biography: **As a child, subject was instrumental in foiling a cold war plot by Soviet Intelligence. Records relating to this incident kindly provided by the FBI (refer attachment, pages 1-21). Subject served with distinction in the military, before an honorable discharge led to a career as a high school teacher and principal. Subject also maintained a career at Smarty Mart, and was a key figure in saving Martin Smarty from kidnap by white-collar supervillains 'the Corporate Raiders' (refer CORPRD-12-002). Subsequently retired and moved to Key West, where he operates a popular military-themed tourist bar.

**Interrogation: **Subject blamed suspect's activities on 'poor discipline' and blamed Global Justice training and command techniques. Subject made suggestions for the correction of these 'errors' (refer attachment, pages 22-374).

**Surveillance:** Full time surveillance conducted for 1 month. Subject conducted numerous private interviews with young, Hispanic men during this time, but background checks on these individuals demonstrated no links to the suspect's activities in Veligrua.

**Recommendation:** Reduce surveillance efforts to electronic only.

* * *

The Go Jet sliced over the rolling blue waters of the Caribbean, the undulating waves compressing and deforming from the speeding craft's downdraft. The pilot's dark lips curled upward as the jet thundered toward Veligrua. Shego had always loved the thrill of flying nape of the earth – or in this case, nape of the sea. The thought that disaster was only a tiny mistake away; the blurring passage of the ground beneath her; the opportunity to scare the wits out of anyone nearby; there was so much to recommend it.

Behind the green woman, the cockpit door slid open with a faint hiss of hydraulics.

"What's up, Princess?" Shego asked, her eyes never straying from the jet's instrumentation.

"How did you know it was me?" The redhead asked, dropping into the co-pilot's seat with a faint huff.

"Wasn't hard, Cupcake. There are only two other people –"

"Tres." An indignant squeak came from Kim's shirt pocket.

"Two other _humans_ on board." The green woman rolled her eyes. "And I'm willing to lay odds that Betty's still hunched over her computer, plotting ruin and devastation for our enemies."

"You'd win that bet." Kim admitted, leaning back in the second chair and blowing hair from her face. "Actually, that's what I wanted to ask you about ... do you think we're doing the right thing?"

A dark eyebrow shot upward.

"You're asking _me_?"

"Sure." Kim gave a somewhat less than casual shrug of her shoulders. "I know a lot of my enemies were too whacked out to know the difference ... I mean, Drakken probably really believed the world would be better off if he ran it."

"Trust me, Kimmie, you have no idea." Shego shuddered, remembering interminable nights spent suffering through Drakken's ninety-seven slide 'When I Rule The World' Powerpoint presentation. One day, Microsoft would pay.

"... I don't think I want to." The former teen hero gave a wan smile, which gave way to a slight frown. "But I always figured you knew what you were doing was wrong, you just did it anyway."

"True enough." Shego acknowledged, then shot the redhead a sidelong look. "So I guess that makes me worse than fruitcakes like Dr D?"

Kim blinked, obviously not expecting the question. She was silent for a long moment, then finally spoke.

"From some perspectives, I guess."

"Nice non-answer, Pumpkin. Ever thought of going into politics?"

"It's true!" The redhead protested, twisting in her seat so she was facing the green woman. "One way of looking at it is that you're worse because you know something is wrong, but you still do it. But on the other hand, at least you're aware of _how _wrong something is, and you can choose not to do it. Like the fact that you chose not to kill ... or not to use mind control."

"Dr D never did learn that lesson." Shego smirked.

"And you never did answer my question." Kim rested her cheek against the seatback, one hand nervously playing with the buckle on the seatbelt. "Are we doing the right thing?"

Shego fought down the urge to make a smart-ass response and intend took a second to think about the question. At last, she sighed.

"Seriously, Kimmie ... are you sure I'm the right person to ask? Wouldn't Betty be a better moral compass than the world's most wanted woman?"

"_Second_ most wanted." Kim corrected her, a faint smile flickering over her lips at Shego's answering scowl. "It's Doctor Director's plan, Shego. I'm pretty sure she thinks it's the right thing."

"But you're not convinced."

The redhead gave an uncertain shrug.

"It's just ... stealing a bomb? Even if we're not going to use it ..." Kim paused, then shook her head. "The whole reason I quit GJ was because I didn't want to compromise my beliefs ... and now I'm doing things I never imagined I would."

Shego breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is _that_ all you're worried about?"

Kim's jaw dropped.

"Isn't it enough?" she finally squeaked. "It's a _bomb_, Shego."

"Forget the bomb for a second." The green woman waved away the explosive device. "It's a completely different situation to what happened with GJ, Pumpkin."

"How so?" The former teen hero look confused.

"Well ..." Shego paused, trying to find the right way to phrase it. "... the best way to think of it is to take a specific example. When you were with GJ, if you'd proposed a mission to take down Harker, what would have happened?"

"The mission would have been rejected."

"Why?"

"Because Veligrua has rich friends, and those friends provide a lot of GJ's funding."

"Right. So basically, you were being blackmailed into turning a blind eye to what Harker was doing. You were being told 'ignore this injustice, or we'll stop you from being able to help anyone'." Shego made a tiny adjustment to the Go Jet's controls, then continued. "Now, you're able to help who you want ... you just have to decide what you're willing to do to provide that help."

Kim sucked in her breath, and gave a slight shake of her head.

"I don't know, Shego ... that sounds a lot like 'the ends justify the means'. Isn't that the same as GJ was doing?"

"Yeah, but the difference is, now _you're_ the one making the decision about what means are justified." The green woman turned to make eye contact with the younger redhead. "And I'd bet anything that you'll make better choices than a bunch of politicians and bureaucrats."

"Maybe." Kim sounded doubtful. "It just seems like a very slippery slope."

"Yeah, it is." Shego agreed. "But I don't think _you'll_ slide down it."

Something about the green woman's tone sent a prickle across Kim's consciousness. The redhead stared thoughtfully at the other woman for a few moments.

"Is that what happened to you?" She asked at last, gently.

"I don't really want to talk about it, Kimmie."

"Okay." Kim nodded her acceptance. The two women sat silently for several long seconds, before Shego finally sighed.

"It didn't start out that way." She said grudgingly, not really understanding why she felt a need to explain herself to her former enemy. "At first, I figured leaving Team Go was a good thing. Being a superhero was always really Hego's thing more than mine. And now, I'd be able to live a normal life ... or as normal as you can get when you're green and throw fireballs. So I went to college and got my degree. But being out of Team Go meant being cut off from their funding. I had to pay rent, and my student loan kept growing ... still, maybe I could have handled things if that was the end of it. But there were also Alex's medical bills."

"You really care about her, don't you?"

"Sure. As a _friend_." There was an edge to Shego's voice, and Kim's eyebrows rose.

"I wasn't suggesting anything else." The redhead said mildly. She paused. "You're very sensitive about that."

"So?"

"I'm just surprised." Kim could see the green woman's barriers coming up, and deliberately kept her tone calm and open. "You don't seem the type to lose sleep over what other people say about you."

"I'm not." Shego grunted. "It's got nothing to do with what other people think. Look ... even if I wanted to talk about this – which I _don't_ – what makes you think that's a good idea to do it while we're flying nape of the earth just this side of Mach One?"

"Well." The redhead gave the ghost of a smile. "For one thing, you can't risk starting a fistfight if I accidentally manage to tick you off."

Despite herself, the pale woman gave a bark of laughter at this unexpected reply.

"Cute answer, Princess. But why take the risk?"

Shego had meant the question as a joke, but Kim answered it seriously.

"Because it seems to me like there are some things that are really hurting you. Maybe talking about them would help. Life's put me in the bizarre position that you're the one person I can ask for help when I'm in trouble, or just need someone to talk to. I'd like to be able to do the same for you."

Shego swallowed, taken aback by the gentle reply. Despite the ocean zipping below them at seven hundred miles an hour, she flicked her gaze over to the redhead, searching for any hint of disdain or insincerity in the other woman's dark green gaze.

The pale woman's heart sank. It was exactly as she'd feared. There was nothing in the redhead's guileless eyes except warm compassion, and a genuine desire to help. Shego sighed and turned her attention back to the controls. The sincere offer of friendship she read in Kim's expression made it harder to say 'no'. It shouldn't have done: keeping others at arm's length was something at which the green woman had become very skilled. But somehow, the former teen hero had a way of getting under her skin.

"It really isn't safe to talk about it while I'm flying." Shego played for time, the corner of her eye catching the disappointed slump of the younger woman's shoulders. Kim's reaction opened a momentary gap in the green woman's normally strong emotional defenses, and she found herself continuing to speak, almost without her own volition. "But after we get to Veligrua ... we'll talk. Okay?"

"Spankin'." Kim hopped to her feet and dropped a gentle hand on the pale woman's shoulder. "I'm going to get a drink and check on Betty. Do you want anything?"

Shego _wanted_ to take back her agreement, her stomach already in knots at the thought of the conversation to come. Instead, she just shook her head.

"Nah. I'm good."

Which given the turmoil in her gut, was far from the truth, but the former teen hero accepted it at face value. The redhead left the cockpit, literally humming as she did so. The green woman sighed.

"Shoulda asked her to bring back some antacid."

* * *

The familiar challenges of flying dangerously low and dangerously fast gradually soothed Shego's stomach, her attention too focused on the Go Jet's instruments for her mind to dwell on the upcoming conversation with Kim. The green woman even managed a faint smirk as she raced the plane along one of Veligrua's many mountain valleys.

"Hang tight, ladies." She spoke into the intercom. "Pumpkin's landing co-ordinates should be just over the next ridge. I hope you were right about this clearing of yours, Princess."

"There's at least three feet of clearance on all sides." The redhead's voice crackled back to her. "If you're half the pilot you claim to be, it shouldn't be a problem."

Shego gave a silent whistle. Three feet was very, very tight.

"I'm _all_ the pilot I claim to be." The pale woman assured the redhead, deftly sliding the Go Jet into position. The sleek aircraft dropped into place with only the faintest hint of hydraulic noise. "I am a leaf on the wind."

"Well, you're the right color." Kim's answering quip provoked a squawk of outrage from the green woman. Betty quickly interrupted the intercom conversation before things could escalate.

"If you could pause your squabbling for a moment, ladies ... I believe this craft has a built-in camouflage system?"

"Yeah." Shego flipped a switch on the instrument panel. "G.U. activated."

"Gee-You?" Kim asked, her tone idly curious.

"Go Unseen."

Kim snorted with laughter.

"What's the stealth system called?" she asked. "The Go Silently?"

"Yes."

"... Hego named them, didn't he?"

"Who else?" Shego rolled her eyes.

"How good is the camouflage?" Betty's mind was on more practical matters.

"From a distance, excellent. The Go Jet scans an image of the ground beneath it, then tessellates that images and projects it as a hologram around the craft. Satellite images and aerial recon have almost no chance of spotting us."

The older woman clucked her tongue, obviously considering the information.

"What about ground forces?"

"If they come into the valley, we're sunk. That's why Princess picked the location – nearest road's three miles away."

"What about electronic scanning?"

"The G.U. uses about as much power as an old cathode ray TV." Shego was willing to bet Doctor Director still owned one of those ancient, heavy beasts. She was also getting a little frustrated. "Look, are we going to keep playing twenty questions, or are you going to accept that I might actually know something about not getting caught?"

There was a moment of silence from the intercom, and then Betty replied, a little stiffly.

"I was attempting to gain an understanding of the aircraft's capabilities. Not question yours."

"You could have just asked for the Go Jet's schematics and specifications." Shego huffed, then felt momentarily abashed. "... I can them pipe all to your console, if you like."

"That would be most appreciated." Betty took the offer for the almost-apology it was.

"So ... got a mission planned for us tonight?" The green woman asked, trying to keep the hopefulness out of her voice. A mission would mean no time for any heart to heart chat with Kimmie.

"Not tonight." Betty replied, unknowingly severing Shego's escape route. "We've all been on the move for more than twenty hours straight, already. I don't want to risk your lives over something as elementary as fatigue."

For a moment, the pale woman considered protesting that she felt fine ... but then she dismissed the urge, knowing that it wouldn't make Betty change her mind.

"Well, my back _is_ kinda sore from sitting in the pilot's seat all that time." She allowed. "You let Sven's Massage Shop know where we'd be, right?"

* * *

As hideouts went, the Go Jet wasn't the most comfortable Shego had ever known, but it also wasn't the worst. In addition to the cockpit and cargo bay, it had a well-equipped medical bay, a tiny galley – liberally stocked with ready-made Bueno Nacho meals – and four tiny bedrooms.

"Four?" Kim peered into the first of the rooms. "There were five of you on the team."

"Bunks in the twins' room."

"Ah. The Tweebs would have loved that if they were here." The redhead gave a wistful smile. "Of course, if they were, the Go Jet's engine would be in pieces by now."

"Los tweebs están locos. " Rojo muttered, spiraling one tiny paw beside his masked head. He paused as his belly rumbled, and gave Kim a hopeful look. "Come ahora?"

"Can we go into the kitchen? Rojo's hungry."

"Probably not a bad idea." The green woman answered laconically, heading into the galley and digging an ice-rimmed packet of microwavable burritos out of the freezer. "I see Hego's idea of catering hasn't changed." She remarked, as she unpacked the burritos onto two plates.

"Tomorrow, we'll get in touch with Sancho's people and have them pick up some fresh supplies." The younger woman assured her companion. "Maybe do some paella or something."

A dark eyebrow rose.

"You can cook? I seem to recall you having kitchen issues."

"Hey, I passed that class!" Kim protested "... eventually." She paused, then sighed. "Besides, after Ron and I split up ... it was learn to cook or learn to love the GJ canteen food."

"Ouch."

"Yeah." Kim blinked and fell silent as the older woman held her palms over the two plates, letting her green flames heat the burritos. The redhead wrinkled her nose at the resulting gooey, steaming mass. "Maybe I'll pass on dinner."

"Asqueroso." Rojo agreed.

"Eat." Shego said brusquely, pushing one of the plates at the younger woman. "Second rule of being a wanted woman, pumpkin. Always eat when you can."

"Second rule?" Kim poked hesitantly at the burritos with her fork. "What's the first?"

"Just like on an airplane: always know where the nearest exits are. Though when you have powers like mine, the answer to that is usually 'through the nearest wall'."

The two women ate in silence for a few minutes; Shego quickly wolfing down her burritos, then looking up to see Kim still toying with her fork. Despite his earlier complaints, Rojo seemed to have eaten more than the redhead. The pale woman watched Kim for several moments, until the younger woman, sensing Shego watching her, glanced up.

"What is it?"

"Just wondering when you're gonna start the interrogation, Pumpkin."

The redhead paused, fork halfway to her lips, then slowly lowered the utensil and sighed.

"Well." Kim said, pushing hair back from her eyes. "If that's how you feel about it, we don't have to talk at all."

Dark eyebrows rose.

"I thought you wanted to find out all my deep, dark secrets?"

"I _want_ to help a friend." Kim caught the doubting look on the green woman's face and exhaled softly. "I know you've got issues with that particular 'f word', Shego –"

"How can we be friends, Kimmie?" The pale woman interrupted, folding her arms over her chest as she did so. "We spent years kicking each other's asses."

"I know." Kim paused, obviously collecting her thoughts. "But ... well, maybe it was different for you, since I was trying to put you in jail, but I never thought of our fights as personal."

"Never?"

"... once." Kim admitted. "But that worked out in its own way, since it brought Ron and I together."

"Really?" Shego was surprised. "I mean, I know you and Stoppable hooked up after that, but you still think of that as a good thing?"

Kim nodded.

"Of course. We had six really good years together. I do regret the way things ended, but that doesn't make me regret the relationship itself. You don't have any good memories about a relationship that went wrong in the end?"

"I've had exactly one _relationship_ in my life, Pumpkin." Shego unfolded her arms and turned to dig through the refrigerator. She gave a grunt of satisfaction when she found a few pre-mixed cranberry vodkas in the back. Popping the top on one, she turned back. "And that was an unmitigated disaster."

Kim look stunned.

"Drakken? Drakken was the only one ..." The redhead made a vague gesture.

"The only one where I tried having a _relationship_." Shego stressed the term before taking a mouthful of her drink. "I've slept with other men. Quite a few of them. But it was always on a 'no strings' basis. The first sign of them getting all emotional about it, I cut them loose. Should have done the same with Doctor D."

"Oh." Kim put down her fork, watching as Rojo, now clearly over his initial misgivings, continued to demolish one of the burritos.

"I guess you've only ever been with Ron?"

Kim nodded.

"Yeah. I went on a few dates, the year after we split up, but nothing that went past an awkward kiss or two. It never felt right. And there hasn't been much time for romance since then."

Shego grunted, staring at the label of her vodka mixer. Finally she sighed.

"Why do you think it matters that I don't like being called a dyke?"

"Uh?" Kim blinked, obviously startled by the whiplash-like change of topic.

"You say you think we should talk about it. What's the big deal? Lots of people don't like being called gay."

"Well ..." Kim paused, clearly gathering her thoughts before she began to speak. "Most people don't throw punches over being called gay. Not unless they're already pretty angry about something."

"You meet that time with Cat O'Waul or whatever her lame-ass name was?" Shego shrugged. "We'd just finished a fight. I was keyed up."

"Shego ... when I look at you I see a woman who's confident in who she is. You don't take crap from anyone. And you have a temper, I know ... but even a hint that you might be gay and you get defensive ... you overreact." The redhead looked her companion directly in the eye. "To me, that says something is bothering you. Something important. I'd like to help you, if I can. That's what friends do."

"Maybe I'm just a homophobe." The pale woman shrugged.

"I don't believe that." Kim shook her head. "Why would you spend all that money helping Alex if you hated homosexuals?"

"... I guess those old files of GJ's were very thorough."

"They were." Kim looked down at her hands, then back up at Shego, deliberately making eye contact with the older woman. "Alex is gay. You obviously cared enough about her to spend tens of thousands of dollars on her care ... but you start swinging fists if anyone so much as suggests you might be like her. Can you see why I think there's something you need to talk about?"

"It's my fault. What happened to Alex. It's my fault." The words forced their way out of Shego's mouth, sounding in the green woman's ears like great stone slabs slamming into the ground.

"Her injuries were self-inflicted." Kim winced even as she was saying the words. They were instinctive, but she knew they wouldn't be of any help. Sure enough, Shego simply gave a bitter laugh.

"I didn't actually push her off that roof. But I might as well have."

"What happened?" Kim kept her tone gentle, seeing the tension in Shego's body, and realizing that the green woman was on edge. For a long time, she got no answer, but the redhead did not repeat her question. She didn't want the older woman to feel pressured.

"Alex was my best friend." The words, when they came, were mumbled and indistinct, forcing Kim to listen closely to understand them. "Since the start of school. Kinda like you and Stoppable. But when we were fourteen, she told me she was gay."

Kim nodded, not speaking, simply waiting attentively for Shego to continue.

"I was the first one she told. The first one she _trusted_." Shego spat the last word. "She only told her parents a week later."

"They reacted badly?" The redhead decided it was safe to make a gentle prompt.

"Yeah. I don't know how badly. I never spoke to them again. But when Alex told them I knew about her, they assumed I was gay, too."

"But you weren't." This time Kim's words were involuntary, a perplexed look creasing her forehead.

"At fourteen, I wasn't anything." Shego shrugged. "I was kind of a late developer when it came to sex. Alex and I never talked about it before she came out to me, and I never really thought about it when I was by myself. And Alex told them all that. But it's easy to jump to conclusions when you have a fourteen year old daughter who's just told you she's a lesbian, and she's been having sleepovers with the same girl for the last ten years." Shego dropped the now-empty drink into the trash can. "And you know what? It would have been better for Alex if I _had_ been gay."

Kim desperately wanted to ask the green woman what she meant, but instead she simply rose and poured a glass of water, then offered the drink to the green woman.

"Here. Drink this. Your throat sounds like it could use it."

"I'd prefer something stronger." The green woman managed a wan smile, but took the water and sipped from the glass. "Thanks."

"So ..." Kim returned to her seat, noting that Rojo had vanished from the room, leaving the two women to talk in private. "... Alex told her parents."

"And they told Hego." Shego curled her lip. "And he came to see me. Wanted to make sure I wasn't more than just friends with Alex. He was worried about it being bad PR for Team Go."

"_What_?" Kim's head shot up. "You're not serious."

"Oh, he talked about being worried for me, and how the press would hound me, and how I'd be denounced by televangelists ... but really it was about the team." Shego shook her head. "Everything always was, with him."

"What else did Hego say?" The redhead asked, with a sinking feeling in her stomach that she had a pretty good idea.

"He said that since I wasn't gay, it would be best not to spend time with Alex any more." Shego's tone was flat and lifeless, her eyes fixed on the glass of water in her hands. "So people wouldn't get the wrong idea."

Kim's hand flew to her mouth as the younger woman's eyes grew wide, and Shego knew that the redhead had realized what happened next. She braced herself for the recriminations.

"That bastard. How could he do that to you?"

The green woman blinked, having expected Kim's anger, but not its target.

"He was thinking of the team –"

"Screw the team." Kim waved off the excuse. "He should have been thinking about his _sister_."

"You're really angry at him." Shego couldn't keep the surprise from her voice. She dropped into the chair next to the redhead, unsure how to proceed.

"Of course I'm angry at him." Kim looked bewildered by the older woman's surprise. "He told you to abandon your best friend, just when she needed you most. And when ... when she hurt herself ... I bet he told you to stay away then, too."

"Yes. He told me to do those things." Shego agreed, unable to look at the younger woman. "But I was the one who did them. I was the one who betrayed my friend and put her in a hospital for the rest of her life."

"You were _fourteen_!" Kim protested. "You should never have been asked to make that choice."

"At fourteen, _you_ were saving the world." Shego pointed out.

Kim shook her head.

"Not the same thing. I had parents who always supported me and made sure that I knew they respected my decisions. You had an older brother telling you that you had to choose between your friends and your family. Mom and dad would _never_ have done that to me. Besides, if you were old enough to be blamed for making the wrong decision, then so was Alex ... and I don't think either of us blames _her_ for what happened."

"Alex was the victim, here." Shego growled. "Not the culprit."

"I know. I agree." Kim reached across the table and gently touched the green woman's hand. "I don't blame her for what happened, and I don't blame you. I'm not saying you didn't make a mistake. But you were young. And you've paid for it a dozen times over."

"I won't stop sending money to Alex." The pale woman's tone was harsh, almost hostile.

"I'm not suggesting you should." Kim's surprise at the idea was genuine. "I didn't mean paying for it financially. I mean emotionally. You've taken all the blame on yourself for what happened and that's just not fair. Yes, you made a mistake. But you're not the only one who did."

"... maybe." Shego sighed at last, rubbing a hand over her slightly stinging eyes. There was no way she was going to cry in front of Princess. "Damn it. This is why I don't talk about this shit."

"Well, I'm glad you did." The redhead let her fingers rest on the back of the other woman's hand once more. "You've gotta believe me, Shego. It's time to forgive yourself for what happened."

Taking a deep breath, the green woman managed the barest flicker of a smirk.

"Is it okay if I don't forgive Hego, yet?"

"It's okay by me." Kim allowed herself a faint chuckle as she released Shego's hand. Then she paused, thinking. "I'm still not really sure why you hate it so much when people suggest you might be gay." She admitted at last. "Do you want to stop, or are you okay to explain that to me?"

"It's simple enough." Shego shrugged, then gave a small cough to clear her throat, her voice still a little hoarse. "What I did to Alex ... well, even if I accept what you say about it not being all my fault ... it still sucked. It's the one thing I've done in my life that I'm really ashamed of." The green woman paused, and summoned that glimpse of a smirk once more. "Well, that and being dumb enough to date Drakken."

"Okay." Kim nodded, obviously still not sure where this was going. "You're on your own with the Drakken thing. I can't think of anything that can justify that."

"Screw you, Princess." Shego raised a finger to the redhead, though her tone carried no real anger. "Anyway ... I just ... I guess I feel like if I _were_ gay, it would make what I did even worse. You see what I mean?"

"I guess." Kim put her chin on her hand, considering the point. "I can see your logic. I'm not sure I agree, though."

"Huh?" The green woman blinked, surprised.

"Well ..." Kim thought for a moment. "I guess since you're not gay, I can see why you wouldn't want Alex to hear people saying that you were. It might make her feel worse. But if you _were_ gay, then I think Alex might be even more upset about you denying it, than anything else. Because that'd be betraying her, _and_ betraying yourself."

"I'm not gay." Shego folded her arms. "I like men."

"Do you?"

"What?" The question caught the green woman completely by surprise. "What does that mean?"

"It's just ... okay, you've been with a bunch of guys. But by your own admission, you've only ever had one relationship. It sounds like you don't really _like_ men. Not as people, anyway."

"Maybe I just don't like _anyone_."

"Nonsense." Kim gave a grin. "You like _me_."

Shego's eyebrows shot up.

"Geez, got some ego there, Pumpkin?"

"Oh, come on. We've been hanging out for a week and you've actually been civil most of the time. Plus you carried me out of a top secret, high security facility. I bet you wouldn't do that for just anyone."

"I'm beginning to regret doing it for you." Shego managed a half-hearted growl.

"Aw, c'mon." Kim allowed herself to use a fraction of her long neglected puppy-dog pout. "Admit it. We're friends."

"No."

"Buddies."

"No."

"Pals."

"Pumpkin ..."

"Amigos!"

"Ami ...? Oh for ..." Shego threw her hands in the air and allowed herself a chuckle at the younger woman's antics. "Fine, Princess. We're friends. Happy?"

"Yeah, I am." The redhead's reply was surprisingly serious. "It's nice to have a friend again."

"Yeah. Whatever floats your boat, Pumpkin." The green woman turned away, affecting an air of nonchalance. But despite her demeanor, Shego's lips curled up a little as she spoke. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Kim was right. It really was nice to have a friend again.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry this took so long, guys. It took three attempts to get that first scene finished in a way I could live with. I wrote and deleted over a thousand words of a completely different tangent before coming up with this approach. On the plus side, you get an extra-long chapter out of it, since I really wanted to finally reach the point where both Kim _and_ Shego acknowledged their growing friendship. So huzzah for that!

Hope you all enjoyed it.


	20. A Girl Like Maria

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0005

**Name:** Dorothy 'Dot' Possible

**Known Aliases:** Dorothy Matrix, Nana Possible

**Relation to Suspect:** Grandmother.

**Location:** Miami, Florida.

**Biography: **Subject first came to prominence as a teen hero during World War 2, where she was personally responsible for the identification and capture of fourteen enemy agents. The first woman to join the US Special Forces, the subject had a distinguished career in which she saved the lives of the Presidents of three different countries. Subject is a master of eight forms of martial arts, a world class chef, and an international-standard bridge player.

**Interrogation: **Subject claimed no contact from the suspect. She acknowledged that the suspect 'sometimes thinks more with her heart than with her head' but added that she would 'trust [her] granddaughter's heart ahead of every head in Washington'.

**Surveillance:** Full time surveillance conducted for 1 month. Subject rapidly identified all agents conducting surveillance, but made no attempt to elude them. No sign of contact with the suspect.

**Recommendation:** Reduce surveillance efforts to electronic only. Add subject's Lemon Squares to Global Justice cafeteria menu.

* * *

"I know you feel a responsibility to this Veligruan girl, Kimberley, but prioritizing her rescue is not a tactically sound decision."

"I don't care if it's _tactically_ the right thing to do." Kim answered Doctor Director, her tone firm but calm. "It's _morally_ the right thing. Maria's only in danger because she's known to be associated with me. I have to help her. Besides, even if it is tactically unsound, it's good strategy."

The older woman's single eye narrowed in consideration.

"How so?"

"Harker knows that Maria and I are connected." The redhead kept her eyes on her former boss, consciously not glancing across at the green woman in the room's third chair. "If he learns I'm back in the country, and Maria _is_ in his custody, he might try to use her as a hostage."

Shego grimaced.

"You wouldn't actually fall for that 'give yourself up or I'll kill the girl' bullshit would you, Princess?"

"I wouldn't give myself up." Kim admitted. "But only because I know that any promises Harker made to get me would be worthless once I was in his hands. What I don't want to be faced with is him saying: 'leave Veligrua, or I kill the girl'."

"Some would argue that such a decision was simple ..." Betty said quietly, "... that the freedom of the Veligruan people as a whole far outweighs the life of any individual."

"Not _my_ life." The green woman snorted, then subsided as Kim stirred in her chair.

"I don't want to be put in that situation." The redhead said, her voice steady but her tone strained, as she shifted in unease at the thought. "I don't want to have to make that decision ... the good of the many or the good of the few ... either choice would meaning giving up something that I refuse to lose." The former teen hero raised her gaze from her hands, which were nervously entwined on her lap, to meet the eyes of her two companions.

"You make a good point about how the young woman could be used against you, Kimberley." Betty Director conceded calmly. "Though even if we recover your friend, Harker might simply choose any other individual as a hostage in her place."

"I doubt it." Shego shook her head, then looked a little startled as two pairs of eyes swung her way. The green woman shrugged at the silent question. "Take it from a former supervillain. Harker doesn't see people, he sees chess pieces in his plans. He might figure Pumpkin could be tempted into a mistake if he threatens Maria, because as someone Kim knows personally, Maria's a knight or a bishop in his eyes. But threatening a pawn? He won't believe that could work."

Kim nodded.

"That's not how I would have put it, but I think Shego is right. Harker wouldn't expect me to care about a random individual, at least not enough for it to affect my behavior. My only real concern is if he decides to threaten a _lot_ of individuals, instead." The redhead looked a little sick at the thought. "If he threatens something like a pogrom, I'm not sure what I'll do."

This time it was Betty who shook her head.

"Veligrua's too small, and economically too closely tied to the United States to get away with something like that. Violation of civil rights and unlawful imprisoning is one thing. Even the execution of the odd individual can be hushed up. But mass killings would at least provoke economic sanctions ... and since Harker and his cronies pretty much _are_ Veligrua's economy, they're the ones who would suffer."

"Nice to know we can rely on the bad guy's self interest to keep him from becoming a mass murderer." Shego glowered.

"Anyway ... Maria could be used against me." Kim faced Betty with a resolute expression on her face. "_That's_ why it's good strategy to rescue her. Though I would be doing it anyway, even if it wasn't."

"Very well." Betty nodded, and punched a few keys on her computer. "Maria Mendes is being held at Asechando Lugar ... it's a minimum security work camp in the wetlands on the eastern coast. The Veligruan government has several such camps there. They use the inmates as forced labor on state-owned rice farms."

"You're sure this info is legit?" Shego challenged. Betty simply gave her a scathing look, not bothering to reply, and the green woman shrugged. "I was just _asking_. That means it's a trap. The only way they would have this woman in a minimum security camp is if they didn't know who she was. And whatever else I might think of her, Lynn's not incompetent. I never would have had her on my team if she was."

"It's _so_ a trap." Kim agreed. "Harker's no more a fool than Lynn is. I guess there's more than one way he can try to use Maria against me. Got any suggestions, Betty?"

"The eastern wetlands have a lot to recommend them as an ambush site." Betty made a few more keystrokes, bringing a map of Veligrua up on the Go Jet's main video screen. "There are plenty of places to hide trip-wires and other detection devices for dealing with land-based infiltration. The terrain is open, with no significant changes in elevation, so airborne approach can be detected at a distance. I've managed to locate some satellite images of the base -" more tapping on the keyboard caused the image to change to a slightly grainy black and white photo. "- and there are three new structures compared to the file records. Visually, they look like new prisoner barracks, but if I use my backdoor into Global Justice to switch to advanced imaging, it's a different story." The picture changed again, showing mottled patterns of color: greens, yellows, and reds. "Notice how there's a lot more ferrous materials in the new structures, particularly these two. I'm guessing those are a pair of bunkers. Probably a machine-gun nest and some anti-air defenses. The last building is mostly likely housing for the additional troops needed to man them."

"Doesn't sound so 'minimum security' any more." Shego observed.

"No." Betty agreed. "In the circumstances, infiltrating the site would be very difficult ... though with your respective abilities, it's certainly not impossible."

"Don't say it, Kimmie." The green woman pointed a warning finger at the redhead, who poked her tongue out in response. "So that's the plan, Bets? Sneak in anyway?"

"Actually ..." the older woman's fingers flew, bringing up a new image. "I was thinking that we wouldn't have to sneak at all ..."

* * *

Headlights appeared in the darkness, accompanied by the distant rumble of heavy vehicles. Although she knew it was unnecessary, Kim instinctively crouched lower against the earthen embankment of the causeway, doing her best to ignore the cold water that seeped up her calves. The redhead glanced sideways, catching Betty's eye. The older woman checked a small sensor in her hand and then flashed three fingers, paused, then flashed two more. As expected: a trio of supply trucks, and two armored personnel carriers as escort.

Swallowing to moisten a throat gone dry, the former teen hero turned her attention in the opposite direction, flashing the same sign to the next person in line. Sancho nodded his understanding, teeth flashing briefly against his dark beard as he smiled, then he turned away to continue the silent relay done the line.

Kim swallowed again. There were fourteen resistance fighters here. Fourteen men and women whose lives she was putting at risk. It was a new and decidedly unsettling experience, but adopting new – not always comfortable – strategies was a core part of the plan.

The redhead pressed herself flat against the embankment as the first vehicle rumbled closer. A small stone, loosened by the vibrations of the approaching vehicles, rattled down the side of the causeway and disappeared into the knee-deep water with barely a ripple.

And then all hell broke loose.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared as the proximity mine, triggered by the same vibrations that had loosened the stone, launched into the air and detonated. The light was blinding; but Kim and her people had their eyes squeezed shut. The noise was deafening; but Kim and her people were wearing ear plugs.

The soldiers in the convoy were not so lucky.

The vehicles slewed to a halt as the drivers, reeling from the visual and auditory assault, slammed on the brakes. The middle vehicle veered more than the others, and Kim held her breath as it came to a halt mere inches before it careened off the causeway.

Sixteen muddy, black-clad figures surged up the sides of the embankment. The commander of the foremost armored vehicle, recovering slightly quicker than his companions, tried to wrestle his machine-gun around to face the onrushing group. Kim leapt forward, handspringing onto the back of the vehicle, and delivering a kick that sent the man sliding bonelessly back inside the vehicle.

Hearing the babble of confused voices echoing within the personnel compartment of the vehicle, Kim yanked open a hatch on top of the APC, dropped in a flash-bang grenade, and slammed the hatch shut once more. The clamor of voices rose sharply, and she felt the vehicle rock as the occupants surged toward the rear door. The agitated sounds were cut off abruptly by the grenade's detonation. Moments later, two of the resistance fighters pulled open the back door of the APC. One of the soldiers within tumbled out, seemingly unaware of where he was and bleeding from one ear. The redhead winced, sparing a moment to hope that none of the soldiers had suffered any permanent injury.

Two more resistance fighters arrived, moving quickly to disarm the soldiers while they were still disoriented. Getting a thumbs up from one of the men on the ground below her, Kim leaped from vehicle to vehicle, finally rolling off the back of the rear-most APC to land on the ground beside Betty Director. The older woman immediately flashed her the signal that the situation was in hand.

"Any injuries?" Kim asked, popping our her ear plugs with some relief.

"Some bruises, abrasions and temporary hearing loss among the Veligruan soldiers." Betty reported. "And Miguel caught his finger in the hatch on this APC. Other than that, not a scratch."

"Glad to hear it." Kim said with sincerity. "This went well."

"So it should." Betty observed. "An ambush that doesn't succeed is an ambush that hasn't been properly planned."

"We're sure they didn't get a message out?"

The one-eyed woman shook her head.

"Not unless they were psychic. I jammed all transmissions as soon as the mine went off. I've turned off the jammer, now. Sebastian's keeping an ear on the radio already, so the convoy was out of touch for less than sixty seconds."

"Great." Kim nodded in satisfaction. Sebastian had served two years in the Veligruan military before deserting, and was familiar with the army's communications protocols. "Pick Miguel and three others to stay behind and watch the prisoners. I'll get everyone else into uniform and we can go on to stage two."

* * *

Kim slouched low in the driver's seat, military cap pulled low over her eyes, as she drew the armored vehicle to a halt. She breathed a sigh of relief that they'd arrived without her steering them off the causeway and into the boggy wetlands at any point. Her Global Justice driving course was a dim memory, and while the Korean War-era APC could probably have handled the immersion, she doubted the resistance fighters in the back would have enjoyed the sudden plunge.

Beside her, Sancho levered himself up into the commander's cupola and barked a gruff greeting at one of the guards on the camp gate. The slovenly-looking fellow made a half-hearted effort to stand straight before replying. There was a rapid exchange of Spanish; far too quick for Kim to follow; and then Sancho gave a satisfied-sounding grunt and dropped back into the cabin.

"Drive through the gates when they open and follow the track around to the right, Dame Quixote. We shall find some windmills to slay."

"Smart ass." The redhead grumbled, swinging the vehicle in a turn as instructed. The surface here was softer than that of the road, and the APC slipped a little as she fought it into position.

"A rough ride, ángel azul. Your one-eyed friend seems to have a much more gentle hand." Sancho's face split into a grin, showing he was teasing, but there was an approving note to the latter sentence, causing the former teen hero to shoot him a narrow-eyed look.

"I'm not sure your wife would appreciate your interest in my friend."

"My wife knows I have a wandering eye. After all, I am a man." Sancho complacently folded his hands over the slight rise of his stomach. "But she also knows that my eye is the only thing that wanders."

"Here we are." Kim pulled the APC to an abrupt halt, stifling a grin as Sancho nearly fell off his seat. "You organize the guys to start lugging the food into the store rooms. I'll wander over near the prisoner barracks. When I do –"

"We will create a disturbance. We will drop one of the crates of food and have ourselves a shoving and shouting match over whose fault it is." Sancho recited the plan in a sing-song voice, his eyes crinkling good-humoredly. "While everyone is distracted, you will sneak into the barracks, and have Maria put on the spare uniform you are carrying. Then we will all leave. Your friend repeated these instructions to me many times, Dame Quixote. I remember them well."

"Okay, I get it. You're on top of things." Kim held up her hands in mock surrender, matching Sancho's grin with one of her own.

"Please be careful, Kim." The Veligruan man's expression grew more somber. "It would not go well if you were recognized."

"Don't worry." Kim leaned over to pat his arm. "I'll keep my hair on." She raised her hand to the black wig and cap she was wearing, then gave her friend a quick thumbs-up before she slide out of the cabin.

Like the causeway which led to it, the base was built on an embankment of earth and rubble. The buildings were box-like and ugly, constructed from prefabricated concrete blocks and haphazardly painted to keep out the damp. Kim let her shoulders slump a little as she meandered away from the vehicles, and kicked aimlessly at a clump of dirt by her foot. The interior of the camp was bathed in bright spotlights, making the redhead feel desperately exposed, even as she reminded herself that the brim of her cap was keeping her face in shadow. She heard Sancho yelling in Spanish, and flicked a quick glance toward the store room, smiling as she watched her friend dress down one of the resistance fighters for some imagined failing. The target of his fake rant glowered back with a reasonable facsimile of the surly, dispirited air of a man who'd already spent seventeen hours on a routine supply run.

Still moving casually, Kim ambled up the steps to the prisoner barracks, hearing the argument behind her escalate into a shouting match between at least four different voices. The guard on the barracks rose from his chair as she approached, but barely spared her a glance, his attention focused on the possibility of an imminent fight. Sancho and the other man shoved each other, their voices rising, as the other resistance fighters pretended to take sides in the conflict.

"Feisty, aren't they?" The redhead quipped in English, slapping the guard on the arm. The soldier snapped his head around toward her, expression first confused, then startled. He opened his mouth – then the sedative patch the redhead had just applied to his skin took effect. His eyes rolled back in his head and he started to slump to the ground. Kim deftly slid an arm under his shoulders and guided him back to the chair.

"Please and thank you." The former teen hero muttered, helping herself to the man's keys. She risked a quick glance around, and then, confident that everyone's attention was on the apparently incipient melee near the vehicles, she slipped into the barracks.

* * *

"Hsst! Maria!" Kim whispered, glancing around the barracks. She could sense eyes on her in the darkness. The Veligruan woman stirred, her eyes drifting open. She blinked in confusion, then sat bolt upright.

"Ki-mmmph!" The redhead slapped a hand over Maria's mouth to stop her exclamation.

"Shhhh." Kim held a finger to her own lips, then pulled the spare fatigues from within her jacket. "Put these on. We're getting you out of here."

Maria nodded, then touched her finger to her lips as well, showing that she understood the need for silence. As quietly as she could, the Veligruan woman wrestled her way into the uniform. Then she grabbed Kim by the shoulders and hugged her hard.

"Maria ..." The redhead was surprised to feel the warm moisture of tears on her cheek. "We need to get out of here."

"I'm sorry." Maria whispered as she straightened up and wiped her eyes. "I just can't believe you actually came for me."

"Of course I came for you." Kim gently touched the other woman's arm. "I always watch out for my friends." The redhead turned and made her way quickly to the door, gesturing for Maria to follow. She cracked open the door of the barracks, checked that the guards' attention was still on Sancho's distraction, and started down the steps.

"I can't believe you came for me." Maria whispered again, and something about the hoarsely spoken words sent a chill along Kim's spine. The former teen hero felt Maria's hand grasp her cap, wrenching it and the wig away. Kim's hair, gleaming crimson in the harsh glare of the searchlights, spilled over her shoulders. The redhead turned, staring at Maria in mute astonishment.

"I'm so sorry, Kim." The Veligruan woman dropped the wig into the mud. Her eyes shone with tears. "But they have Lucia." She took a deep, shuddering breath, and shouted. "She's here! Kim Possible is here!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Dun dun _dun!_ Looks like Kim, Sancho and Betty are in trouble. Speaking of Betty – she sure had a lot of information at her fingertips, didn't she? Almost like she'd planned for Kim's insistence ... could be that gets covered next chapter.

Something else that'll get covered next chapter is something you're probably already wondering: just where is Shego while all this is going on?


	21. The World's Strangest Tag Team

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0021

**Name:** His Most Sensationally Talented Majesty Ricardo Alphonso Bernardo Iago Diego Senior II

**Known Aliases:** Senor Senior Junior, Junior, Mr Brittina Sharp, S-Dawg

**Relation to Suspect:** Former adversary, Former alleged soulmate.

**Location:** Senior Castle, Senior Island.

**Biography: **The current holder of the Senior fortune, inherited from his father Ricardo (etc) Senior I. During the subject's latter teens and early twenties, he participated in his father's attempts at villainy, but demonstrated little interest or aptitude in the profession, and was thwarted by suspect on all occasions. Subject frequently stated a desire to be famous during this period, making several unsuccessful attempts to become a 'pop sensation'. Six years ago, subject married fading star Brittina Sharp (PI Ref 0044), in a marriage largely discounted at the time as a publicity stunt. Defying all bookmaking expectations, the couple remain married, and have one son: Ricardo (etc) Senior III. Subject is believed to have instigated his father's decision three years ago to unilaterally declare the independence of Senior Island (a declaration subsequently ratified by the Spanish Government amidst allegations of bribery), because 'royalty are almost as famous as pop stars'. Following his father's abdication to concentrate on his golf game, subject is now King of Senior Island.

**Interrogation: **Subject refused to be interviewed without guarantee of the conversation being printed in at least one internationally-distributed celebrity magazine. Application to subpoena subject was refused by the Chief Justice of Senior Island (i.e. the subject).

**Surveillance:** Global Justice were denied permission to conduct personal surveillance within Senior Island. Electronic surveillance undertaken for 1 month, with no sign of contact with the suspect.

**Recommendation:** Discontinue surveillance. If subject _did_ meet with suspect, he would almost certainly issue a press release about it.

* * *

"So we hijack the supply convoy and simply drive into the base?" After hearing the plan, Shego had immediately boiled the plan down to its simplest elements.

"Essentially." Betty nodded. Kim frowned, pulling at her lower lip as she considered the proposal.

"Sancho can get us a dozen resistance fighters, maybe a few more. Is that really enough to take out the convoy?"

"With the advantage of a surprise attack, yes." Doctor Director's response was confident.

"Betty's right, Pumpkin. Catch a man with his pants down and all the fight goes out of him."

"That was never true of Ron." The redhead pointed out.

"I said 'a man'." Shego quipped, ignoring the mock glower she got in response. "Well, Bets ... as plans go, it's a little less flamboyant than I usually prefer, but it's got the potential for some serious mayhem. Count me in."

"Actually," Betty tapped her keyboard and blanked the screen. "Kim and I will handle this one without you."

"What?" The green woman shot to her feet. "If you expect me to just sit on my ass back here while –"

"Of course I don't expect _that_." Betty snorted dismissively, hands flying over the keyboard to bring a map on-screen. "This plan allows us to get into the base, but getting _out_ presents more of a problem. When Kimberley gets Maria, the other prisoners will almost certainly be aware of what is going on. It's also almost certain that one or more prisoners is working as an informant for Harker's people: either as a result of bribery, or of blackmail."

Shego nodded her agreement.

"Yeah. I've never been in a work camp like this, but in prison, there's always someone willing to sell you out to get ahead. But say one of the prisoners blows the whistle: so what? Even with the extra guards for the new bunkers, there couldn't be more than sixty soldiers on the site. Half of them will be off-duty, so that means only thirty to deal with. You, me, Pumpkin and a dozen of Sancho's guys? We could take them, easily."

"Shego's right." Kim nodded, a small frown creasing her forehead. The idea that she might be betrayed by one of the very people she was trying to help - the men and women imprisoned by Harker's regime - troubled her deeply. "We can handle thirty guys, assuming the alarm actually does get raised."

"I fully expect that we'll have to." Betty said with a sigh. "But we don't need Shego to do that. You and I and Sancho's people will be enough."

"And we return to the point that I'm not going to sit on my ass while you two hog all the fun." Shego glowered. Her mood was not improved when Doctor Director chuckled in response.

"I promise that's not what I'm suggesting." The older woman's tone was dry, as she pointed to the map displayed on the screen. "Here's a satellite image of the area around the camp. Notice anything?"

The green woman heard Kim's immediate intake of breath and flicked her own attention to where Betty was pointing. The image was dominated by the mottled gray and black of the wetlands, with the camp itself showing as a cluster of white blocks in the center of the screen. Running straight to this cluster was s slender, slightly snaking, white line. Shego sighed.

"Only one road."

Betty nodded.

"A causeway. It's the only route within eleven miles of the camp. Good for us when it comes to getting in, since we know which way the supply convoy has to come ... not so good when we want to get out."

"There's no chance of going cross-country?" Kim asked.

"If the convoy includes suitable vehicles, it's an option." Betty admitted. "But the terrain is very difficult. We'd be lucky to make ten miles an hour."

"If I went alone -"

"You'd have to make your way past all the traps and security, then get Maria out again through it." Betty's clipped tone made it clear what she thought of the option. The former head of Global Justice saw the deepening frown on the redhead's face and softened her voice as she continued. "This is the price you have to pay if you expand your operations, Kimberley. You can take on missions that one person alone can't complete, but you become responsible for what happens to the people under your command."

"So we've established that you and Kim can handle any trouble at the base itself, but if the alarm gets out, the Veligruans can block the only escape route." Shego decided to defuse the slight tension between the other two women by getting back to the original topic. "I'm guessing that's where _I_ come in?"

"Correct." Betty nodded. "The base is too remote for land forces to intercept us before we leave the causeway, but the air force -"

"Could be there in less than five minutes if they're on stand-by." Shego deliberately leaned back in her chair and swung her boots up onto the table. Pulling out a nail file, she gave Kim a sly glance. The redhead was watching her with an impressively impassive expression, but the green woman could see the hint of a suppressed smile in a jump of the younger woman's cheek muscle. "Let me get this straight. While you two take a dozen men to go rescue one young woman, I'm expected to dogfight the whole Veligruan air force by myself?"

"The _whole_ air force consists of exactly four F-5s and a trio of Vietnam-era helicopters." To the green woman's disappointment, Doctor Director seemed unconcerned by her sarcastic attitude. One of the few advantages of working for Drakken had been the way she could reduce him to near-incoherence with just a handful of words. "And I rather thought you would be bright enough to deal with them while they were still on the ground. You _do_ have some experience with sneaking onto their airfield, as I recall."

"That I do." Shego admitted, as she buffed a nail. "I guess I can do it that way, even if it is much less fun."

"And there's no reason you have to do it alone." Kim agreed. "Rojo can go with you."

_"What!?"_

_"Qué!?"_

Kim looked first at the green woman, who had shot to her feet, then at her mole-rat companion, who had been dozing on her shoulder. The grim set of Rojo's mouth, the only thing visible beneath his mask, was an exact match for Shego's current tight-lipped look of distaste. The redhead thought the matching expressions were actually kind of cute. Wisely, she didn't say so out loud.

"Princess, I do _not_ play team-up with rodents." Shego huffed.

"Really?" Betty quirked an eyebrow that was very nearly as expressive as Shego's own. "I'd have thought that Rojo was a step-up from some of your past associates." Shego shot her a sour look, but the older woman merely chuckled at the green woman's glower.

"Ella es un rudo!" Rojo told Kim emphatically, pointing an accusing paw at the former supervillain.

"She's a good guy now, Rojo." The redhead protested, flicking a quick warning glance at Shego when the pale woman snorted at the claim.

"Técnico?" Despite his mask, Rojo managed to look doubtful as he glowered across the table at the pale woman.

"Yes. Técnico." Kim's eyes slid to Shego, silently asking the older woman not to dispute the claim. The former supervillain merely smirked and dropped back into her chair, ostentatiously returning her attention to her manicure. "Look, I know neither of you are all that keen on the idea, but we all need to learn to work together, right?"

"I don't play well with others." Shego kept her tone bored, not looking up from her nails. "And I don't need help for this, Kimmie."

"Please?" Kim flicked her glance back and forth between her two reluctant colleagues. "C'mon, Shego. I'd feel a lot better knowing you had back-up."

"_Back-up_?" Shego gaped at the redhead. "In what way is a six-inch long, mentally imbalanced rodent '_back-up_'?"

"Ella huele raro!" From his tone, Rojo also had his doubts about the idea.

"Rojo gives you an extra set of eyes." Kim insisted. "And he can get into places a human can't. And he can understand Spanish. He's saved my butt a bunch of times, haven't you, boy?"

"Si." The mole-rat agreed, his chest puffing out. Suddenly he deflated, as if realizing that his response meant agreement to more than just Kim's question.

"Look, Princess -" Shego broke off as she met Kim's gaze. The redhead's eyes were wide and plaintive, her lower lip seeming to tremble slightly as she gave the green woman a pitifully entreating look.

Shego blinked. Kim Possible, the world's most wanted woman, was _pouting._ Pouting at _her_. What was this, the seventh grade? There was absolutely no good reason for Rojo to go with her. It was just one of Pumpkin's pie-in-the-sky "let's all be friends" daydreams. Well, it wasn't going to work. She didn't need the damn rodent, and that's all there was to it. End of discussion.

"Fine. He can come with me."

"Spankin'!"

* * *

"I see Kimberley has your number." Betty remarked to the green woman after their meeting ended. The redhead had already left to speak with Sancho about gathering resistance fighters for their mission, and the two older women were alone in the room.

"Screw you, Betty."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much." The older woman simply smiled at the rude response. "Kimberley has always had a way of getting what she wants. I bent more rules in the four years she was at Global Justice than in the rest of my career combined."

"Somehow I suspect Princess didn't get things all her own way." Shego shot the former head of Global Justice a darkly amused look. "At least not if today is anything to go by."

Betty's eyebrows rose.

"Something on your mind, Shego?"

"This plan." Shego jerked her thumb at the images that were still displayed on the screen. "You're good, but no-one could come up with all the info about the camp and the airfield as fast as you just did. Princess may be used to getting five second answers from all those years working with the Nerdwonder, but I know better. You knew she'd want to go after Maria, and you always planned to let her. So why the charade about it 'not being tactically sound'?"

"Two reasons." The one-eyed woman tapped her keyboard, blanking the screen. "First, because I wanted to know if Kimberley was simply acting on emotion, or if she'd considered the logical reasons to pursue Ms Mendes's release. I'm very pleased to see it was the latter."

"And the second reason?" Shego's eyebrow arched.

"As Kimberley's superior at Global Justice, I was often the one who told her what missions she could and could not take; what goals were acceptable to the GJ Council, and which were not. As I said, there were a number of times when I bent the rules on her behalf ... but there were many others where I had to forbid her from undertaking a mission, or direct her to take one with which she did not agree. I thought it beneficial to illustrate to her that now, the final decision is hers. That this is her fight, and she's in charge. I wanted her to see that while I will always offer her my advice and my counsel, I am no longer her superior. In effect, our roles are the opposite of what they used to be: I work for her, now."

"Huh." Shego folded her arms. "That might be quite a comedown for you."

Betty shook her head.

"On the contrary, I find myself much happier with this arrangement. My only task now is to plan our missions as best I can. It is Kimberley who must bear the burden of deciding what those missions will be. Of balancing what is right with what is practical."

Shego considered what the older woman was saying, and felt a slight roil of disquiet in her stomach. It was not a responsibility she would want.

"Kimberley will need your support, you know."

"Mine?" Emerald eyes grew startled. "Why the hell would she come to _me_? You're her old boss."

"That's exactly why she _can't_ come to me." Betty perched on the edge of the table and calmly folded her hands in her lap. "Kimberley knows I'm a good strategist, and that I can help her, and give her advice. But there will be times when she needs to override my advice. And when that happens, there is only one person who can tell her: 'you're doing the right thing'."

"_Riiight_." Shego scowled. "Because as an internationally-wanted thief and mercenary, my opinion on right and wrong is highly regarded."

"You _do_ understand that Kimberley respects you, don't you?" Betty fixed the younger woman with a curious stare. "You would not be here if she did not have a high regard both for your skills, and for you as an individual."

Shego shrugged. She'd figured she was there because Pumpkin had got so desperate for help that she'd decided to lower her standards. Not that she planned to phrase it that way to Betty.

"Drastic times call for drastic measures, right?"

"Perhaps." Betty allowed. "But there were many such measures Kimberley could have taken. She has not. Perhaps she appealed to you not out of desperation, but out of hope."

The green woman grunted, unwilling to accept the suggestion, but unable to muster a more vigorous rebuttal.

"Well, I'm all packed up." Betty said at last, into the growing silence of the room. Her eye flicked to the still taciturn Shego, then away once more. "I'll confirm a timetable with you once I hear from Kimberley about Sancho and his people. In the mean time ... perhaps you might at least consider what I've said."

The former supervillain didn't answer. But she did have a lot to think about.

* * *

"Callado!"

"I _am_ being quiet." Shego hissed back, glaring at Rojo. She might not know much Spanish, but after two hours of cross-country travel, she'd come to know _this_ word infuriatingly well. Unintimidated, the mole-rat glared back, then pointed accusingly at the dry leaf which had just crumpled under the woman's foot. Shego intensified her glower. "Hey, you try being two-hundred times as heavy as you are now, and see how quiet _you_ are."

"Doscientos? Más como mil."

Shego paused. She wasn't sure _exactly_ what the vile little rodent had just said, but she was pretty sure it wasn't flattering. Reluctantly suppressing the urge to goose Rojo with a plasma ball, the green woman stole quietly to the edge of the tree-line and hunkered down. Ahead of her lay an open space of some fifty feet or so, cleared of all trees and undergrowth. On the other side of the gap was a tall, slowly rusting fence, topped with coils of barbed wire. Hanging from the fence was a battered sign, paint peeling away, which rattled gently whenever the wind picked up.

"Right." The pale woman shot a glance at Rojo, who glowered back from his position on a tree branch beside her. "You ready, oh stalwart and much valued rodent partner?" Sarcasm might be the lowest form of wit, but it was satisfying.

With a disdainful sniff, Rojo leapt down from the branch and scampered across the open gap, easily slipping between the links of the fence. Once through, he turned and expressed his opinion of Shego with a very explicit gesture.

"Well _that's_ something he didn't learn from Princess." The plasma-powered thief allowed a smile to flicker on her lips for a few moments. Then she glanced left and right, checking for any sign of guards. Spotting the glimmer of headlights in the distance, the green woman remained in position. Some thirty seconds later, an aging jeep rattled past on the inside of the fence, three bored-looking conscripts slouched in the seats. Shego waited until the dim orange glow of the vehicle's single working tail-light had faded, then sprinted across the gap to the fence.

Plasma flared as the green woman ran her fingers over the fence, cutting through the wires within seconds. Not bothering to hide a smug grin of self-satisfaction, Shego pushed part of the fence aside and slipped through the gap she'd made, then pushed the wire mesh back into place. A couple of quick pinches of her fingers, and some of the severed links were spot-welded back into place. The impromptu repair job wouldn't survive a careful inspection, but the pale woman doubted the fence had seen a careful inspection in a long time. The airfield's perimeter was simply too long to be adequately maintained and patrolled by a few dozen men in jeeps. Getting this far was the easy part. The real security would be on the aircraft hangars themselves.

In other words, that was when the _fun_ would actually begin. The green woman let her dark lips break into a smile at the thought.

"C'mon." Shego crouched down and offered her palm to Rojo. The mole-rat sniffed at it suspiciously, causing the former supervillain to roll her eyes. "Just climb on, will ya? We're on a timetable here."

With a tiny grumble, Rojo scampered onto her hand, then scurried quickly up her arm to perch on her shoulder.

"Hold tight." Shego cautioned the mole-rat. "I'm not coming back for you if you fall off."

Swiftly, moving in a running crouch, the green woman began to make her way across the wide expanse of the airfield, heading for the squat, long silhouettes of the distant hangars. She flitted easily from shadow to shadow, using every fold in the ground, every crude embankment or makeshift drainage channel, as a hiding place.

"No esta mal." The grudging mutter in her ear almost startled a yelp out of the green woman. She'd been so focused on her task that she'd almost forgotten her unwilling passenger.

"I'm the _best_." Shego wasn't above letting a little smugness creep into her voice, but she suppressed the urge to speak any further. The first building; probably a barracks of some kind, by the looks of it; was only a few paces away. Harsh electric light gleamed through the shuttered windows, and the green woman could faintly hear the sounds of conversation from within. Shego stole forward, intending to angle around the back of the metal structure and make her way on to the hangars themselves.

The noise suddenly swelled as a door opened on the far side of the building. There was a swirl of Spanish, much too fast and indistinct for Shego to make out ... and then, rising out of the hubbub came one, clear, braying word of English.

"Fer-_eaky_."

Shego immediately dropped to one knee, pressing herself up against the back wall of the building. The metal was cool to the touch, suggesting that the barracks possessed at least a primitive air conditioner.

"Qué es?"

"Change of plans." Shego twisted her head to meet Rojo's confused gaze. Her eyes were cold. "The planes can wait. I have a personal matter to settle, first."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Uh-oh. Looks like Shego's letting herself be distracted from the main goal. Is the team's very first mission together about to come off the rails? What's happening back at the prison camp? Did you have as much fun reading Junior's file as I had writing it? :-)


	22. Pyrrhic Victory?

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0031

**Name:** Doctor Justine Flanner

**Known Aliases:** 'Cold Fusion' Flanner, Cold Justice

**Relation to Suspect:** Former schoolmate, former adversary.

**Location:** Global Justice's 'Pulsar' Space Station.

**Biography: **Recognized as a scientific genius from an early age, the subject was a world-renowned authority on quantum and nuclear physics by the time she was 15. Subject completed first degree while still in High School and her first Doctorate at age 20. At age 23, subject was selected to head the International Cold Fusion Initiative. Approximately one year later, the subject was seriously injured when a group of armed robbers attempted to steal the experimental hardware at her laboratory. Subject appeared to make a full physical and emotional recovery, and soon returned to work. However, subject secretly designed several advanced weapons and undertook a program of vigilante revenge against the criminals who had harmed her, disguising her identity under a mask and using the pseudonym 'Cold Justice'. Her violent methods soon led to her being declared a public danger, and several of her revenge attacks were thwarted by the suspect (Case Ref: COLDJU-14-004 and COLDJU-14-005). These encounters led to the suspect eventually unmasking Cold Justice's true identity. After her arrest, the subject made a plea bargain to serve her sentence on the 'Pulsar' Space Science Station, where she could still contribute to research without being a danger to society. Subject has served two years of her sentence and is eligible for parole in a further eighteen months.

**Interrogation: **Subject expressed sympathy for the suspect's motivations, but cited her own life as an example of the need to work within the law, rather than outside it. Subject additionally indicated concern for suspect's physical well-being and urged that Global Justice attempt to use negotiation to end suspect's activities.

**Surveillance:** Under the terms of the subject's incarceration, all her communications with individuals outside the Pulsar Station are monitored. No evidence of contact with suspect.

**Recommendation:** Continue existing surveillance regimen.

* * *

Kim stood, rooted to the ground, for one long, horrified second. It had been hard enough for her to accept Betty's argument that one of the prisoners might betray them. To be betrayed by the very woman they'd come to rescue ...

"Dos! Dos! Dos!" Betty's voice cut through the redhead's shock, and Kim's instincts took over. The lithe gymnast back-flipped away from Maria as the tearful Veligruan woman collapsed to her knees, then vaulted onto the hood of the nearest truck. Slapping a hand onto the top of the truck's cab, she somersaulted onto the roof of the nearest building, then raced along its length, the corrugated metal letting out a deep bang with each footfall.

Below her, in the muddy courtyard, the resistance fighters sprang into action at Betty's pre-arranged signal, suddenly turning their guns on the surprised guards and shouting for the soldiers to lay down their weapons.

"Once we're inside the camp, there are three probable outcomes." The older woman had explained, once Sancho's resistance fighters were assembled. "The first, and unfortunately least likely, is that no alarm will be raised. In that case, the mission will proceed as I've already discussed. In the second case, the alarm is raised, suddenly and publicly. That's not the worst outcome for us. We know the alarm might be raised at any moment; the camp guards will be more surprised than we are. If this happens, the key is to make the most of those few seconds where the guards are caught unawares. I'll go through your individual responsibilities with you in person, but the short version is simple: disable or capture as many of the soldiers as possible before they have a chance to react. That's our best chance to limit casualties."

"And the third outcome?" Sancho had asked.

"The third outcome is that the alarm is raised secretly, and we suddenly find ourselves surrounded by soldiers with guns ready." Betty looked grim at the prospect. "If that happens, we surrender. We don't try to resist, or to break out. We let them take us prisoner."

"They might simply shoot us out of hand!" One of the resistance fighters protested.

"They might." The former head of Global Justice acknowledged. "But if we try to resist when we're at such a disadvantage, we _will_ die. So we let them take us prisoner, and we look for a chance to escape."

"What if we can't?"

"A few days ago, Kimberley rescued me from the most secure prison on the planet." Betty gestured at the redhead, who blushed at she heard the murmurs of 'ángel azul' from around the room. "Harker doesn't have a cell that can hold her."

Leaping from the end of the rooftop, Kim felt a surge of relief that she wouldn't have to prove Betty's claim.

The redhead's fingers latched onto the side of the camp's watchtower. Above her, Kim could hear the two guards recovering from their surprise. Betty had identified the tower as the greatest danger to their plan: everything else was at ground level, and readily accessible to the resistance fighters now that they were inside the compound. The soldiers in the forty-foot tower, however, and the machinegun they manned, were out of reach of anyone except Kim.

The former teen hero let her legs swing forward, until the momentum faded, then she whipped her body back, pivoting on her hands and flipping up into the tower's platform.

One of the soldiers shouted a warning, his hand going to his gun. A crescent kick knocked him from his feet. Kim used the momentary reprieve to spin, catching the other second arm as he clumsily swung a fist at her. The redhead let the man's own size work against him, hip-tossing her heavier opponent face-first into one of the pillars supporting the tower's roof. The man slumped bonelessly to the ground as the former cheerleader disabled the first soldier with a simple sleeper hold.

"Betty?" She called down. "What's the sitch?"

"This area's secure. No casualties. Good work with the tower." The older woman called back. "Some of the guards have barricaded themselves into the barracks, though. I've got our people staying under cover, and we have them bottled up pretty tight. I don't think they'll try anything. The machine-guns on the APCs could tear the building they're in to shreds, and they know it."

"The radio room?" Right now, the mission was a success, but if the Veligruan Air Force were on their way, it would soon become a failure.

"Under our control, but they got a message out before we took it." Betty sounded grim.

"Okay." Kim closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. Either the planes had been destroyed, or they hadn't. She just had to trust in Shego.

* * *

Emerald flames blossomed around Shego's hand.

"No!" Rojo's high-pitched admonition came from her shoulder. The green woman ignored him, and raised her fist, readying herself to blast through the thin metal wall.

"Aargh!" Sudden agony went shooting through her ear, and Shego had to bite down sharply on her bottom lip to muffle her cry of pain. She tasted a coppery tang in her mouth. "What the _hell_?" The green woman hissed, twisting her head to glare at the rodent on her shoulder.

"La mision es lo mas importante!" The mole rat shook his paw like a miniature fist. A tiny drop of blood showed which claw he'd sunk into her earlobe.

"The bitch in there _shot_ me." Shego whispered, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"La mision!" Rojo was insistent.

"The mission's gonna have to wait." The pale woman narrowed her eyes. "I'm in charge here, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

Rojo put up his dukes.

"... you have to be kidding me." Shego snorted, and lazily batted the mole rat to the ground.

Or tried to, at least.

Rojo dropped off the green woman's shoulder, avoiding her casual swing, and used his claws to latch into her costume, then suddenly dashed up to her collar. With a half-squeak, half-growl, the diminutive mole rat lunged upward.

Pain _exploded_ in Shego's nose as tiny claws sank into the soft flesh at the base of her nose. The green woman dropped to one knee, eyes watering. Her hand lashed up, no longer casual, and wrapped around Rojo's tiny body. She started to squeeze, and felt a warning tug on her nasal septum in response.

Nearly crossing her eyes in an attempt to focus on her so-called team mate, the green woman glared down at the scowling mole rat.

"I can fry you in an instant." The pale woman warned. Rojo glared back at her for a moment, then with a slump of his tiny shoulders, released his grip on her nose. Shego straightened her arm, moving the mole rat further away so it was easier for her to focus on him. As she did so, Rojo's expression softened from defiant to pleading.

"Senorita Possible cuenta contigo." The mole rat spoke quietly, his eyes never leaving those of the green woman.

"I don't c –"Shego's mouth snapped shut on the instinctive denial. The urge to go bursting into the metal building had not diminished. The green woman could feel it prickling up and down her spine; feel it tingling in her fingertips. But now it warred with the sudden remembrance of exactly _why_ she was there. And the fact was, she _did_ care what happened to Kim. It was an unexpected and unwelcome realization.

"Damn it." The pale woman muttered, slumping back into the shadows beside the building. Whoever had opened the building's door didn't seem to be coming this way, and it was doubtful anyone would hear her over the noise from inside, but it was better to be careful. "This is why I don't like working _with_ people."

Working _with_ people was complicated. Working _for_ someone; as she had with Drakken; or having someone work _for _you; as Lynn had for her; was much easier.

"Right. Because both of those relationships worked out _perfectly_." The green woman sneered at herself. "An abortive attempt at romance with an emotionally stunted boy-man on the one hand, and a sucking chest wound on the other."

"Loco." Rojo ventured his opinion of Shego's behavior, surprising a snort of laughter from the green woman.

"Glass houses, rodent. Still ... I _must_ be out of my mind." The pale woman let her head rest against the wall behind her. "Because I'm actually going to do what you want." If Shego was going to be honest with herself; and on the whole the green woman frowned on such a practice; her decision came down to one thing: what would Kim do in her place?

"You people are making me soft." The green woman grumbled to Rojo as she scooped him up and put him back on her shoulder. "I'll end up cuddling puppies and helping old ladies across the street, at this rate."

The mole rat's only response was a rude noise.

* * *

Kim dropped down from the watch tower, and trotted quickly across the muddy ground of the camp. To her left, Betty had pulled up the APCs so that they shielded the one barracks hall that was still in the guards' hands. Nodding to the four resistance fighters who were keeping the building under watch, the redhead turned to the right.

Maria sat on the steps outside the dormitory where Kim had found her. The Veligruan woman had her legs pulled up tight against her chest, with her arms wrapped around her calves. Her shoulders were slumped forward, her forehead resting wearily on her knees.

Kim paused in mid-stride, then sighed, her own shoulders slumping. Slowly, she turned and made her way to the steps, dropping to a seat beside the other woman.

"I'm sorry." Maria spoke without looking up, her voice so small it was almost inaudible.

"It's okay." The former teen hero pulled a splinter of wood from the platform on which she was sitting, and rolled it back and forth between her fingers. "Really."

"_Okay_?" Maria raised her head, just enough for Kim to make out the other woman's red-rimmed eyes. "_How_ can it be 'okay'? I _betrayed_ you."

"But you didn't betray _Lucia_." Kim tossed the splinter into the mud and turned to make eye contact with her Veligruan friend. "That's the position you were in, Maria. I'm not saying that what happened didn't hurt me ..." She still felt a little numb from the shock, and her stomach roiled with a gnawing sense of emptiness. "... but you had to choose between me and the woman you love. I don't blame you for who you chose."

"_You_ would have found a way not to betray anyone."

Kim sighed. Sometimes being the woman who could do anything was more trouble than it was worth.

"_Maybe_ I could have pulled that off." The redhead gave a noncommittal shrug. "But it was a situation I didn't want to face. That's why we came for you." She gestured at Betty and Sancho, who stood in the lee of the APCs, making preparations for their departure. On the other side of the camp, four more of the resistance fighters stood watch over the captured soldiers, while the rest were occupied with poring over the camp records, identifying which prisoners were being held for political crimes. Those men and women would be offered the opportunity to leave the camp if they wished, though they would have to go their own way once they were out of the wetlands. Neither Sancho's organization nor Kim herself could help such numbers directly. "I couldn't allow you to be used as a hostage against me."

"So you're saying you only came for me for selfish reasons?" Maria managed the tiniest of smiles. "I do not believe you, ángel azul."

Kim gave a bashful smile of her own.

"Well, maybe not _only_. But my point stands ... you were forced to make a terrible choice. A choice I would hate to be faced with. I can't hold the decision you made against you."

"I can."

"I know." Kim reached out and took the other woman's hand. "But we all make choices we regret. Often with much less reason that you had."

"What ..." Maria closed her eyes and swallowed. "What will happen to Lucia?"

"I don't think they will harm her." Kim spoke quietly, but tried to inject as much confidence into her tone as she could. "I can't guarantee it, of course ... but if everything goes as planned, tonight, then Harker will have other things to worry about than hurting Lucia."

"... and if things don't go to plan?"

"Then we'll almost certainly be dead."

* * *

The soldier's eyes rolled up, and he collapsed soundlessly to the ground. Shego smirked, flexing the hand she'd used to land the stunning blow.

"Damn, I'm good." The green woman glanced around the hangar. Four F-5 jets; the entire fixed-wing component of the Veligruan airforce; took up roughly half of the spacious interior. Shego had already wired the three helicopters in the other hangar. Once the jets were dealt with, her job was done.

Seeing no sign of any other guards or maintenance staff, Shego quickly bound the fallen soldier; the fourth she'd disabled that evening; and pulled a trio of nanobombs from her pack. Reaching up to her shoulder, she offered them to Rojo.

"One in the cockpit, one on each side of the fuselage, just under the wings. You do the closest jet. I'll do the rest."

"Si." The mole rat took the bombs and scampered nimbly down Shego's front, somersaulting to the floor once he reached her knee. Watching the rodent scamper away, the green woman gave a rueful shake of her head.

"One of these days I'm going to have to _make_ Princess tell me where she found that little freak of nature."

The plasma-powered woman worked quickly, placing the nanobombs where they would do the most damage. Once she got to a safe distance and operated the radio detonator, the Veligruan air force would become the world's most expensive scrap heap. Shego could also have achieved the same results with her own powers, though it would have been exhausting, and left her with nothing in the tank if she was discovered.

"Terminado."

"I'm just about done, too." The green woman secured the last of the nanobombs as Rojo dropped from the jet's wing, landing back on her shoulder. "Time to get out of here. Sooner or later, one of those guards I knocked out is going to wake up, or someone's going to stumble across them." Shego had concealed the unconscious soldiers as best she could, but all it would take was for someone to open the wrong door, and alarms would be going off all over the place. Not that she wouldn't welcome a little workout, but there was always the risk that an alarm would make someone start looking for sabotage. Nanobombs were small, but they weren't invisible.

Shego moved back to the hangar's personnel door, and pressed her ear against the thin metal, listening for any sound of a rude surprise on the other side. She could hear distant, muffled voices, but there was no sign of anyone close by. The green woman cracked the door open only the tiniest fraction, ears still straining. Nothing ... no, wait, a distant rumble, slowly growing louder.

The sound of jet engines. Shego frowned. Betty had confirmed that the whole Veligruan air force was present at the field, and currently grounded. Veligrua didn't have the finances to expend aviation fuel without good cause. So what was the approaching plane?

The green woman slipped out of the doorway, and stole along the edge of the hangar, then peered toward the now flood-lit runway. A cluster of people had emerged from the barracks she passed earlier, the majority of them forming into ordered lines of neatly attired, heavily armed troops. Shego counted automatically, stopping when she reached forty. That was definitely more of a workout than she wanted.

Forward and to the left of the ranked soldiers stood a smaller group of five individuals. Four had the olive complexions and dark hair that were common amongst Veligruans. The last, tall and lean, was pale-skinned, with a shock of white hair that glowed brightly in the fluorescent lights.

"Lynn." The word was half growl, half promise. Shego still planned on a reckoning with her former employee.

"Arriba!" Rojo whispered in her ear, pointing upward. The green woman's eyes followed the gesture, swiftly picking out the lights of three approaching aircraft.

"Lear jet with two fighters as escort." If it flew, Shego could identify it. "Brand new F-35s, at that. This is something big." The passenger jet made its approach as the green woman muttered the words. Light from the runway splashed over the craft's fuselage, illuminating the logo on the tail.

"Oh shit." Shego swallowed down the sour taste in her mouth, watching as the jet came to a stop and the door opened.

Ruth Lees walked down the steps and onto the tarmac, where she took Lynn Andretti's hand in a firm, comradely handshake.

* * *

"We're ready to go." Betty announced, walking over from her conversation with Sancho. The older woman looked at the redhead's drawn expression and let her concern show. "How are you?"

"Tired." Kim managed the ghost of a grin, then sighed. "I miss the old days, Betty ... the days when the hardest thing about saving the world was finding time to do my homework."

Betty nodded.

"I miss them too, sometimes. God help me, from time to time I even miss _Sheldon_. But what we're doing is more important now than ever."

"I know." Kim sighed. "It's just hard sometimes."

"If you were the kind of person who could give up on something just because it was hard, you never would have told me to tell the Governing Council to kiss your ass." Betty's lips quirked upward as her rejoinder startled a burst of laughter from the younger woman.

"I can't believe I actually wrote that." The redhead wiped a palm across her face.

"It was one of the more _colorful_ resignation letters I've received." The one-eyed woman acknowledged, before returning to the reason she's approached Kim. "Are you and Ms Mendes ready to leave?"

Maria gasped.

"You're taking me with you?" Her shock was obvious.

"Of course." Kim replied, then suddenly looked uncertain. "... if you want to come, that is. If you prefer, you can stay, or try to make it out with the other prisoners ..."

"No!" Maria vehemently shook her head. "No, that's not what I want. I want to come with you. I just ... how can you trust me?"

"The same way I can trust Shego." The redhead's reply was matter-of-fact. "By believing in my own instincts."

"Shego is truly an ally of yours?" Maria looked surprised. "When she told me she was, I did not know whether to believe her."

"Well, actually, at the time she told you that, she was lying. But we really _are_ friends now." Kim saw Maria's look of confusion, and sighed. "It's a long story. I'll tell it to you once we're on the road." The redhead stood, and dusted off her khaki slacks.

The small convoy set out, taking the five vehicles in which they arrived and both of the jeeps that they'd found at the camp. Behind them, they left the guards and approximately thirty prisoners whose records identified them as violent offenders. Several of the guards were still free and armed, having barricaded themselves in one of the barracks, but there was not much they could do to interfere with the escaping resistance fighters: there were no vehicles with which to chase the convoy, and Sancho had made sure the radio room was thoroughly wrecked before his people departed.

The eleven mile journey along the causeway passed quickly. Sancho's fighters took the two APCs, while the prisoners who had chosen to leave the camp occupied the three trucks and one of the two jeeps. Maria rode with Kim and Betty in the second jeep, and the redhead occupied the time; and calmed her own nerves; by recounting the tale of how Shego had been shot by Lynn, and how that betrayal had led to Kim's own alliance with the green woman.

Soon enough, the convoy reached the highway that skirted the wetlands. Kim allowed herself a sigh of relief. If the Veligruan air force was in any state to fly, the planes would have attacked them by now. Shego had come through. As the seven vehicles made their way onto the sealed road, they split up. The APCs and Kim's jeep headed south, while the escaping prisoners headed north. The prisoners' vehicles would continue to split up as they came to further intersections. With luck, they would all be long gone before the authorities began a search for them.

"Ah-ha." Betty gave a grunt of satisfaction as the jeep's radio headset crackled to life. The older woman had been hoping they'd glean some intelligence from listening in on Veligruan communications, but they hadn't picked up any transmissions while crossing the wetlands. The former head of Global Justice slipped the earphones into place, closing her single eye as she concentrated on what she was hearing.

"There was a series of explosions at the military airbase approximately twenty-five minutes ago." She translated. "The explosions are being attributed to the actions of a saboteur. All the air force's aircraft are currently disabled, though the extent of the damage is still being investigated."

"I bet they're all slag, now that Shego and Rojo are done with them." Was Kim's estimation. Betty didn't answer, but held up her hand for quiet, a frown creasing her forehead.

"Also destroyed were three Global Justice aircraft." The one-eyed woman reported. The news brought Kim's heart into her throat. What were Global Justice doing at the airfield? "Several soldiers were injured, as well as one Global Justice agent ..." The older woman trailed off, her face growing pale.

"What is it?" Kim unconsciously let the vehicle slow down. She could tell from Betty's face that the news was bad. Her hands began to tremble on the wheel as the older woman tore the headset from her ears. "Betty? What's wrong?"

"Kim ..." Betty closed her eyes and swallowed. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse, and she had to force out every word. "They're reporting that the saboteur was killed in one of the explosions."

"What?" The redhead knew it was a stupid question. But she couldn't have heard what she thought she had.

"I'm sorry, Kim. Shego's dead."

* * *

"Shit." Shego repeated the curse for emphasis.

"Mierda." Rojo agreed gloomily, then looked up at her hopefully. "Más bombas?"

"I've got twelve more." Shego acknowledged. "More than enough. The problem is getting them there." She pointed at the Global Justice aircraft. "It's a good half-mile over open ground, and the whole area is lit up with floodlights."

Rojo just looked at her silently, saying nothing more.

"Yeah, I know. We have to do _something_." Shego sighed, running a hand through her hair, her mind racing as she considered the new situation. The two Global Justice fighters had landed on the runway behind Lees's jet, but they could be scrambled within minutes if word came of Kim and Betty's attack on the prison camp. And the ultra-modern F-35s were a lot more dangerous than the fifty year-old F-5s behind her.

"The F-5s." The words were barely a whisper.

"Qué?"

"Listen." Shego plucked Rojo off her shoulder and brought him up to eye level, holding her palm flat so he could stand on it. "You need to get out of here."

Rojo shook his head.

"I'm serious." The green woman persisted. "I'm about to do something so dumb I might as well be Princess."

"Senorita Possible?"

"Yeah, her. Actually, this is probably crazy even by her standards." Shego studied the ground between her and the runway. It looked level enough. As long as there weren't any ditches she hadn't noticed, she might actually make it. "But it's not something you can help me with. So you need to take off. Kimmie would kill me if anything happened to you."

Rojo shook his head.

"Damn it, I mean it."

"Parejas." Rojo pointed first at Shego, then at himself. "Para Senorita Possible."

The dark-haired woman sighed and rubbed at her eyes with the tips of her fingers.

"You understand that this is really dangerous, right?"

"Listos para luchar!"

"Fine." The green woman growled. The mole rat obviously had a death wish, and there wasn't time to argue. An alert could come from the camp at any time. "You can come get yourself killed. Just stay close to me, okay?"

"Si."

The green woman dashed to the nearest F-5 and swung herself into the cockpit. A rapid check of the diagnostics showed the craft was green across the board, except that she was low on fuel.

"Well, I'm not planning on going far." Scrambling out of the cockpit once more, Shego attached the remaining nanobombs to the nose of the plane, then ran to the control box for the main hangar door and thumped the 'open' button. Immediately, a loud clanking noise began as the door began to slide back. Shego returned to the cockpit and slipped the remote for the nanobombs into the pouch on her calf. "Get in there with it." She directed Rojo. "And when I yell 'now', press the button."

"Si." The mole rat dropped from her shoulder to her lap, then scuttled down into the pouch. Shego started up the engines, her attention focused on the widening gap of the hangar door. Beyond, she was dimly aware that the door's opening had been noticed. A group of soldiers were already heading in her direction. The green woman cursed at the door's slow progress. By the time there was room to get out, the place would be crawling with guards.

"The hell with it." Shego snarled, as she brought the engines up to their full roar. "There's enough space for the fuselage, and I don't plan to actually _fly_."

The F-5 surged forward, undercarriage squealing on the concrete. Outside, the approaching soldiers slid to a halt and then scattered, as several tons of metal slammed through the opening in the hangar door ... and in the case of the left wing, through the hangar door itself. Shego felt her teeth rattle from the impact, but the sturdy F-5 ploughed onward, dragging a dangling sheet of metal for several yards before it finally came loose.

The jet rushed onward, slowly gathering pace as it thundered across the dusty open flatland of the airfield. Shego held on grimly to the controls, fighting to keep on target. She felt a reluctant surge of gratitude for Rojo's insistence on accompanying her. This might not have been possible if she'd had to keep one hand free for the nanobomb detonator.

The three Global Justice aircraft grew rapidly larger as the F-5 continued its charge. Shego was dimly aware of the panicked figures scattering to either side. She could dimly make out that they were shouting, though she couldn't hear anything over the roar of the engines; or perhaps it was the roar of her own blood in her ears. Some of the soldiers raised their rifles and fired. A few sparks flew from the nose of the F-5, but her pilot never wavered.

The middle of the three GJ aircraft filled Shego's view of the canopy. A moment before the nanobomb-encrusted nose of her F-5 ploughed into the other craft's fuselage, the green woman spoke.

"_Now_."

Her whole world became flame.

* * *

Kim wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, the acidic taste of bile still burning her throat.

"Here." Betty held out a water bottle. The redhead took it blindly, filled her mouth, and then spat the water onto the highway.

"It's my fault she's dead."

"Nonsense." The one-eyed woman rejected Kim's words. "Shego knew the risks. She chose to go."

"Because _I_ sent her."

"Just like I sent out hundreds of agents in my career. Each time one of them died or was hurt, was that _my _fault?" Betty dropped to her haunches and gripped Kim's shoulder. "Shego's death is a terrible thing, Kimberley. And it's right to mourn her. But it's not right to blame yourself that it happened. Shego made her choice freely." The former head of Global Justice doubted the argument would comfort the younger woman. It had never provided much comfort to her. But it was all she could offer.

"Perhaps it is only propaganda." Maria suggested.

"It was a situation report." Kim's voice was strained, almost bitter. "Not a press release."

Betty nodded, her hand still resting gently on Kim's shoulder.

"The report said she rammed the Global Justice planes with one of the F-5s. Both craft involved in the collision were completely destroyed." Betty sighed, then let the silence stretch out for a long moment, before looking up at Maria and gesturing for the Veligruan woman to help Kim back to the jeep.

Betty took over the driving, while Maria and Kim sat in the back. Maria held the redhead for the whole journey, but none of them spoke. Even after they abandoned the vehicle and traveled the last few miles of their journey on foot, they could find nothing to say. At last, the trio reached the Go Jet.

The three women walked in silence toward the jet's entrance ramp, each lost in her own grim thoughts, then stopped in sudden confusion when a greeting rang out.

"Jesus, people: lighten up. You all look like somebody died."

The speaker leaned heavily against the frame of the Go Jet's hatch, her left arm streaked with blood and her black and green costume in tatters. Soot covered much of her exposed skin and she stank with the acrid odor of burned hair.

Gloriously, impossibly, undeniably: Shego.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Do you have any idea how tempted I was to end this chapter at "I'm sorry, Kim. Shego's dead."? But I decided that three cliffhangers in a row was a little too mean :)

So just how did Shego and Rojo; fear not - everyone's favorite luchador mole rat is still alive; survive? Well, that _is _something you'll have to wait until next chapter to learn. I gotta have something to make you come back, after all!


	23. Out of the Frying Pan

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0035

**Name:** Gemini

**Known Aliases:** Sheldon Director, Master of WWEE

**Relation to Suspect:** Former adversary

**Location:** Golden Bough Sanitarium

**Interrogation: **Subject appears wholly delusional, and spent entire interrogation session talking to his pet dog 'Pepe', despite the fact that no such animal was present.

**Biography:** Criminal Justice doctorate, Law School graduate, former Olympic level wrestler. Recruited by Global Justice at age 20, along with his twins sister Elizabeth Director (PI Ref 0007). Rivalry with his sibling marred the subject's otherwise exceptional performance as a recruit, and contributed directly to the training accident which cost him his left hand. Quitting Global Justice, the subject swore revenge on his sister and on the organization for which she worked. He formed the World Wide Evil Empire (WWEE) and remained a class one threat to world security for the next twenty-two years. Lost an eye in individual combat with his sister, who suffered a similar injury in the fight. After being defeated on two separate occasions by the suspect, the subject's fortunes began to decline, due particularly to his brutal treatment of his followers. This decline, coupled with the disappearance of his pet Chihuahua during the Lorwardian Invasion (Case Ref ALIENS-07-003), led the subject to a complete mental breakdown. Subject transferred to Golden Bough, a high security sanitarium, for treatment and observation, but has exhibited no sign of recovery.

**Surveillance:** Personal and electronic surveillance conducted for two weeks. No evidence of contact with reality, let alone the suspect.

**Recommendation:** Discontinue surveillance.

**Additional Note:** _GJ Governing Council Eyes Only_. Pepe located in animal shelter shortly after Lorwardian invasion was defeated, but not returned to his owner in case it caused Gemini to return to his previous activities. This information is _not_ to be communicated to Elizabeth Director.

* * *

Shego staggered under the impact of one hundred and twenty pounds of redhead. Slim, strong arms wrapped around the former villainess in a fierce hug.

"Careful, Kimmie." The green woman winced at the pressure on her ribs. "Walking wounded, here."

"Oh, sorry." The pressure relaxed, though Kim did not release the embrace completely, remaining standing with her head resting on the taller woman's collar-bone.

"Not that I'm not pleased to see you guys, too." Feeling awkward, Shego gently patted the redhead's back, shooting a confused look at Betty and Maria. "... but you guys look like you've seen a ghost."

"The Veligruans believe you were killed." Doctor Director folded her arms. "It's all over the military channels."

"Things did get pretty ... exciting." Shego allowed. "But I came out of it okay."

"Rojo?" Kim asked, leaning back just enough to allow her to look up at the green woman's face. The former teen hero looked pale, her ears slightly reddened. "Is he ..."

"He's fine, Pumpkin." Shego nodded an assurance. "He went inside to change his mask."

"Oh thank god." The redhead suddenly realized that her arms were still around the taller woman's waist. With a rising flame to her cheeks, Kim released her hold, then wiped her suddenly damp eyes with the back of her hand. "I ... I, uh, should go check on him."

"Okay." The green woman nodded, still a little overwhelmed by the redhead's emotional response to her survival. She watched the younger woman disappear inside the Go Jet, then turned back to face a wide-eyed Maria and a thoughtful-looking Doctor Director. "What?"

"I for one am curious to know how you survived." The one-eyed woman remarked in wry tones. "But that can wait. I think we all need some time to recover from today's activities. And you –" Betty gestured at the dark-haired woman's battered appearance. "- need to go to the medical bay and have those injuries seen to."

"Yeah, yeah." The green woman waved off the suggestion. "I'll head down there as soon as the mole-rat's got his new mask on and is ready to patch me up." She paused, then sighed. "I cannot _believe_ I just said that."

"Life certainly becomes a little more ... unpredictable ... around Kimberley." Doctor Director acknowledged calmly, as she walked up the gangway. "For example, I'm glad you're okay. That's a sentiment I never expected to feel. We'll debrief in the conference room in two hours." With one last wave of her hand, the one-eyed woman disappeared into the Go Jet.

"She cares about you a great deal, you know." Maria said quietly.

_"Betty?"_ Shego turned to the Veligruan woman, one eyebrow shooting skyward. Maria woman shook her head.

"Kim."

"Princess cares about everyone." The green woman shrugged. "That's kinda her deal."

"Do you think she would have reacted as she just did, for 'everyone'?"

"Come on ... she was just worried about Rojo. That little weirdo is her best buddy, remember?" Shego folded her arms defensively. Okay, so Kimmie had unleashed a hug from which her ribs were still creaking, but that was just a spur of the moment thing. Nothing significant.

"I have no doubt that she cares for Rojo." Maria cocked her head to one side. "But earlier, when we thought you were dead, it was not him for whom she was crying."

"Would her reaction have been any different if it was you, or Betty, who she thought was dead?" The green woman snapped, feeling a stir of anger. What was Maria's game, trying to make her feel like she was someone special to Kim?

"No." The quiet response took the wind from Shego's sails. "That is my point, Shego. Kim mourned for you exactly as she would have mourned for Doctor Director, or myself. You know that she cares for us. Why do you doubt that she cares for _you_?"

* * *

Shego stomped her way into the medical bay, pulling up short when she found Kim already there. The redhead was perched on one of the bench tops, good-humoredly allowing Rojo to check her for injuries.

"Honest, Rojo!" The former teen hero smothered a giggle as the mole rat poked and prodded at her arms, muttering all the while in Spanish. "All I got was that splinter." Kim raised and wiggled her left index finger, already swathed in bandages. "You and Shego were the ones who had it rough."

"Damn straight." The green woman growled, hurling herself onto the bed at the center of the room, and giving the redhead a sour look. Anger and adrenaline were coursing through her, and she gripped her knees with her thighs to stop her hands from shaking. Where the _hell_ did Maria get off telling her what Kim felt?

"Hey Shego." Kim started to smile, then saw the grim look on the other woman's face. Her own welcoming grin faded as quickly as it had begun. "Sorry."

"Sorry?" Shego blinked. "For what?"

"For whatever I did to tick you off."

"Tick me off? Why do you think I'm ticked off?"

_That_ prompted a startled laugh out of the younger woman.

"C'mon, Shego. If looks could kill, the one you just gave me would have Rojo running for the defibrillator." The redhead bit her lip. "Was it the hug? I didn't hurt you did I? Or make you uncomfortable?"

"No." Shego paused, suddenly realizing that her instinctive response had been a lie. Normally, such things didn't bother her. This time, however, she needed to tell the truth if she wanted to get her own answers. "Actually, yes. Why did you hug me?"

"Why?" Kim looked genuinely confused by the question. Running her fingers through her hair, she sighed. "I was just so happy ... so relieved ... to see you still alive."

Shego nodded. That seemed reasonable.

"Because you need me to take out Harker, you mean."

"_Screw_ taking out Harker." Kim's anger was even more obvious than her earlier confusion. The redhead pushed herself off the bench, earning a squeak of annoyance from Rojo. Ignoring the mole rat, the former hero stepped forward and stared directly into the green woman's eyes. "Damn it, Shego. I didn't hug you because of anything to do with Harker, or GJ, or the mission. I did it because I was happy that you were okay. I _care_ what happens to you, Shego. That's what friends do."

Shego swallowed and closed her eyes, unable to take the redhead's steady gaze any longer.

"It's been twenty years since I had a real friend, Pumpkin. And I did a lousy job of that."

"A lot's changed since then, Shego. _You_ havechanged." Shock from Kim's quiet statement made the taller woman open her eyes once more. Shego found the redhead's eyes impossibly close to her own: large and open and honest. But ...

"A month ago, I was trying to put you in jail."

"And last night, you risked your life to save mine."

Shego waved it off.

"That was the mission, Pumpkin."

"Uh huh." Kim gave her a skeptical look. "So strapping yourself into an F-5 and crashing it into a GJ fighter ... you would have done that for _any_ mission, right?"

"Ye- ... N- ... Shit." The green woman sighed, and dropped her head, unable to meet Kim's eyes. "Fine. I knew if I didn't, you'd get hurt. Maybe killed. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Fingers, small but strong, lifted Shego's chin. Kim was smiling.

"See? You're better at this friends thing than you realized." The redhead slid her arm around the green woman's shoulders, and gave her a firm hug. "Which is just as well, since you have two of them, now."

"Huh." Shego snorted, even as she raised her own arm and – for the first time – squeezed Kim's shoulders in response. "Are you sure Betty's okay with you deciding who her friends are?"

Kim chuckled.

"I wasn't talking about Betty."

"Ella hablaba de mi, Babosa."

The pale woman stared in shock at Rojo. The mole rat stared back.

"We can't be friends. You don't even _like_ me."

"Apparently the whole 'nearly getting yourself killed to save me' thing won you some points with my little guy." Kim grinned, holding out her free hand to Rojo. The mole rat leapt into her palm, then raced up the redhead's arm and perched on her shoulder. Leaning forward, he whispered into her ear. Whatever else Kim had been about to say, it died on her lips. The former teen hero stopped, her mouth half-open, then twisted her head to look at the mole rat. "You're sure?"

Rojo nodded.

"Sure about what?" Shego looked back and forth between the redhead and the rodent, both of whom were now sharing what could only be described as 'conspiratorial'. She was uneasy. Conspiratorial, in her book, meant bad.

"Don't worry. It's nothing bad." Kim seemed to sense exactly what the green woman had been feeling. The redhead smiled, reaching up to scratch Rojo on the back of the neck. "The little egotist here wants me to tell you his life story."

"And here I am, without a big red book."

"Huh?" Kim looked blank.

"Never mind."

"It's actually a pretty big deal." The redhead explained, rolling her eyes when the mole rat vigorously nodded his agreement with the claim. "You remember I told you a while back, Rojo doesn't like to talk about it."

"I remember." Shego nodded. "You said you bought him from a Smarty Mart in Mexico City, right?"

Kim nodded.

"Yeah. My little guy here was in a pen with about twenty other mole rats. They were on the edge of the pets section, and on the other side of the aisle was the audio-visual section. Lots of TVs tuned permanently to Galavisión. Rojo used to spend all his time watching them. Which is how he learned about luchadores ..."

"He wasn't playing with his mole rat buddies?"

"He didn't have any."

Shego considered a caustic remark about Rojo's 'winsome personality', but decided against it. Something about Kim's tone suggested this was a sensitive point.

"I'm guessing the reason why is a big part of the story?"

"Yeah." Kim nodded, and glanced at Rojo. "You ready to show Shego?"

The mole rat nodded, then tilted his head forward. Raising one paw to hold his mask against his face, he unzipped the back and pulled the sides apart. Instead of the smooth pink skin Shego expected to see, there was a thick crimson fuzz. Rojo held his position for a moment, then sealed the mask back up.

"As you can see, Rojo wasn't quite as 'naked' as a naked mole rat should be." Kim gave her rodent associate a tender smile. "Maybe there was some Damaraland mole rat in his family tree, or something. Anyway, it pretty much left him ostracized by the other mole rats, so he spent all his time watching the TVs, which is where he saw the luchadors. There was one in particular that Rojo idolized ... El Mutante. He wore a mask to conceal a terrible disfigurement. Rojo wanted to be like him, but he never could, trapped in a cage like he was."

"And then you came along."

"And then I came along. As soon as I saw a mole rat with red hair, I knew I had to buy him. And when he learned why I'd chosen him, my little man here decided that his patch of fur mean he was destined to be with me. So he put on his first mask, and chose to name himself after the thing he used to consider a curse." Kim lowered her voice a little. "I know it probably doesn't seem like a big deal to you, but sharing this means a lot to Rojo. He's still pretty sensitive about being different."

"I can relate." The words slipped out without conscious volition. Normally, Shego would have clammed up after them, erecting a wall of silence and hostility. But after everything that had happened in the previous twelve hours, it just seemed like a waste of effort. "I think anyone who says that high school is the best time of your life is just too senile to remember how it really was."

"I'd better get my stroller, then." Kim gave a sad smile. "High school _was_ the best time of my life. I was young and stupid and sure I could do anything."

"I remember."

There was a moment of stunned silence as the redhead gaped at Shego, her mouth opening, then closing, then opening again. Finally, the green woman couldn't keep her stoic mask in place. A snicker bubbled past her lips. Instantly, Kim's look of shock gave way to a chagrined grin.

"Oh, very funny." The redhead sighed dramatically, affecting a wounded air. "Rojo shares his dark tale of shame and loneliness, and you ... you!" The former teen hero stabbed a melodramatic finger at the now openly-chuckling green woman. "You just use it as a means to denigrate my pure and well-intentioned high school self! I am wounded, wounded I tell you!"

Shego fought to breathe through her laughter. Maybe this 'friends' deal wasn't so bad, after all.

* * *

"Come in, Maria." Kim waved to the young Veligruan woman, as she stopped at the doorway of the briefing room.

"Are you sure? I thought perhaps you would not want me here, after I betrayed -"

"Sit down." Shego waved imperiously at one of the spare chairs. "Pumpkin will pout if you don't. Besides, if it turns out you really are dumb enough to cross us twice, you'll deserve what I'll do to you in return."

"Shego!" Kim hissed a reproof as Maria went pale.

"Yes, Princess?"

"Be nice."

"This _is_ me being nice, Princess." The green woman affected a look of confusion.

The redhead sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Ignore Shego, Maria. She just loves to be the center of attention."

"Speaking of which ..." Doctor Director interrupted, hands flickering over the keyboard in front of her. "Why don't we go over your little fireworks display at the airfield?" An image of the runway popped up on the main screen, the area littered with debris and surrounded with vehicles. "As you can see from this satellite image, the Veligruans have the fire extinguished, and have begun investigating the site. They've still got you listed as dead, but the chatter I'm monitoring on Global Justice's network indicates that they're becoming concerned by their failure to find any human remains. I think we can assume they will soon realize that you survived. Perhaps now might be a good time to tell us how."

"I'm disappointed, Betty." Knowing it would irk the older woman, Shego turned her chair sideways and propped her feet up on the seat next to her. "I thought you would have figured it out."

Betty's single eye narrowed.

"I have a theory. I just wondered if it would be confirmed. Would I be correct in saying that you fought fire, _with_ fire?"

"Yes, you would." The green woman wrinkled her brow, feeling a little put out that the former head of Global Justice had discerned her strategy.

"Little help for the peanut gallery?" Kim gestured at herself and Maria.

"Just as everything went to hell, I generated as much plasma as I could." Shego explained, doing her best to look as if throwing herself into a furnace was an everyday occurrence for her. "Normally, I just produce enough to light up my hands, or to throw. But if I really concentrate, I can produce a lot more of the stuff. I still have to project it all from my hands, but I can sustain a field about five feet in diameter – just enough to hide behind – for a few seconds."

"And that protected you from the explosions?" Kim looked surprised.

"Mostly. I still got a fair few scrapes and burns." Shego gestured at the bandages adorning her body, courtesy of Kim and Rojo's medical care. "But the plasma burned off the flammable gases in the air: which meant that the explosions from the planes were starved of fuel before they could reach me. Plus, of course, it melted a hole right through the planes. I came out on the far side, away from the Veligruans and GJ agents, and got the heck out of Dodge. I'm not surprised nobody saw me. It was pretty crazy around then."

Kim shook her head.

"I can't decide whether to be impressed that you were smart enough to come up with that idea, or furious that you were dumb enough to try it."

"Says the woman who gave herself up to save an enemy."

"If we could get back on topic." Doctor Director brought up a new image on the main screen: Ruth Lees, shaking hands with Lynn Andretti. "The thing that led to all this excitement was Global Justice's unexpected arrival at the airfield. I must admit I never anticipated that Lees would approach Veligrua this soon; or _ever_, in person. It appears that she has allowed her personal enmity to override her operational decision-making, in this case."

"That means she's a crazy bitch who hates our guts." Shego stage-whispered to Maria. The Veligruan woman nodded, eyes wide.

"Thank you for the clarification, Shego." Betty blanked the picture, then displayed a screen full of technical specifications. "My taps on Global Justice communications show that Lees has come to an agreement with Harker. In light of the destruction of their air force, Veligrua has requested Global Justice assistance. They've been granted four platoons of agents, plus air support, communications ... the whole nine yards. Within twelve hours, Global Justice will be in Veligrua in force, under the command of one of their most senior agents."

Maria's heart sank as she heard the news. She glanced around the table, expecting to see the worry and fear that gripped her, reflected in the expressions of the other three women. Instead she saw satisfaction – and in Shego's emerald eyes, predatory anticipation.

"I do not understand ..." The Veligruan woman admitted. "This is terrible news. Global Justice have many powerful weapons. Surely they can destroy us all ... yet you do not seem afraid?"

"It's true that GJ are a lot more dangerous than the Veligruan military." Kim admitted. "We'll have to be careful."

"But sending agents to Veligrua?" Shego smirked. "That's exactly what Betty _wanted_ Lees to do. Rescuing you? Blowing up the air field? That was the frying pan. Harker may have jumped out of _it_, but now he's in the fire." The green woman's hands flickered with flame as her smile grew wider. "And Lees just jumped in with him."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Are you as confused as Maria? Trust me, the ladies do have a plan ... but if I tell you what it is, what would be the point of writing the rest of the story? :)

In reality, Naked mole rats aren't actually hairless. And Damaraland mole rats live in a completely different part of Africa, so crossbreeding isn't very likely (and they're both eusocial species, which makes it even _less_ likely). But then, in reality they probably don't actually wear luchador masks and speak Spanish, either!


	24. Truth and Lies

_Quick refresher since I haven't updated in so long:_ Kim, Shego and Betty have joined forces to tackle the corrupt regime of Veligrua. They are opposed by Veligrua's ruler, General Harker; by Shego's former associate (Adrena-)Lynn Andretti; and by Machiavellian politician Ruth Lees, who has ousted Betty and replaced her as head of GJ. Our three heroes' last operation was the rescue of Maria Mendes, a Veligruan woman with whom Kim had become friendly.

* * *

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0022

**Name:** Jonathon Abraham Henchmeyer

**Known Aliases:** Jack Hench, 'Honest' Abe Henchmeyer

**Relation to Suspect:** Former adversary, possible Supplier

**Location:** HenchCo Headquarters.

**Interrogation: **All attempts to interview subject were prevented by actions of HenchCo legal department.

**Biography:** A graduate of the Columbia Business School, subject originally came to the attention of law enforcement agencies as head of 'Honest' Abe Henchmeyer's Used Car Emporium. Subject was believed to be trafficking in stolen vehicles in order to maintain his low, low prices. Insufficient evidence was found to lay charges. Subject subsequently expanded into the sale of used weather machines, before founding HenchCo in 1994. HenchCo's nominal business is "independent security contractors", offering personnel, equipment and logistical support to its clients. Although HenchCo possesses numerous legitimate contracts in the developing world, Global Justice believes that the majority of its business is in supplying villainous individuals and organizations. Subject denies all charges, and thus far there is insufficient evidence to prosecute. Subject officially listed as 97th richest person in the world, but his actual wealth is believed to place him in the top ten.

**Surveillance:** Surveillance undertaken for 1 month. No indication of contact with the suspect, but significant gaps in surveillance caused by HenchCo countermeasures. Subject's position within HenchCo gives him opportunity for contact.

**Recommendation:** Transfer surveillance responsibilities to project HENCHJ-02-001.

* * *

Shego padded along the Go Jet's main corridor. Ahead of her was the cockpit door, slightly ajar. A dim light gleamed through the narrow gap. The green woman stopped within inches of the metal hatch, having approached with cat-like stealth, and silently cocked her head to listen.

There was a soft murmur of words: a Spanish phrase, repeated over and over. The speech was far too fluid to be Kim, or even Betty; and too mellow for Rojo. Without making a sound, Shego adjusted her position. Her new vantage allowed her to peer through the thin opening between the door and its frame, and while she could not see much of the cockpit itself, she could see a silvery, highly-polished bulkhead, which offered a distorted, but surprisingly clear, reflection of the interior.

Maria crouched over the Go Jet's video communicator, continuing to repeat the same phrase again and again. Finally, there was a burst of white static, and a dark-skinned, uniform-clad Veligruan officer appeared on the screen.

"Por qué estás en esta frecuencia?" He spoke brusquely, almost rudely.

"Mi nombre es Maria Mendes. Necesito hablar con Lynn Andretti. Código de seguridad 'Cu-Cu'." The Veligruan woman replied, her voice soft. As she spoke, she reduced the volume setting of the communicator, then glanced around nervously. Shego allowed herself a small, tight smile. She could see Maria, but Maria could not see her.

"Espera." The man grunted, obviously unimpressed, but punched at some buttons off-screen. When he spoke again, it was in English. "Colonel Andretti, I am sorry to disturb you, but I have a communication from Maria Mendes. Security code 'Cuckoo'."

"Patch it through." Lynn's voice sounded distant and tinny, passing through speakers to microphone to speakers once more. The man nodded and punched another button. Immediately the image on screen switched to Lynn's face. The American woman looked tired, her hair tousled from a pillow. Shego felt a moment of pleasure that Maria's midnight call had clearly disturbed her former employee's slumber. "Ms Mendes. I was under the impression that you'd been 'rescued' by Kim Possible." Lynn's sarcasm, as usual, was not subtle.

"I was taken from the prison by her. I attempted to warn the guards –"

"Yeah, I heard you'd stabbed the bitch in the back. I guess love makes you dykes do _fer-eaky_ things, eh?" Lynn's voice, though the speakers kept it low in volume, was filled with spite. Maria paused, swallowing, then shook her head.

"I did what I had to do." She whispered harshly. "Then _and_ now."

"Whatever lets you sleep at night." Lynn sneered. "So what do you have for me?"

"You promise Lucia has not been harmed? And that she will remain safe?"

Lynn's eyes narrowed and she leaned into the monitor. "That depends. What do you _have_ for _me_?"

"Global Justice." Maria sighed, brushing at her eyes with her hand.

"What about 'em?"

"Kim and the others are going to attack the new headquarters Global Justice have set up." The Veligruan woman's tone was dull, almost defeated. "They have full schematics of the new base –"

"_How_?"

"I do not know." Maria shrugged her shoulders in response to Lynn's agitated squawk. "They did not tell me and I thought it would seem suspicious to ask."

"I guess you're not as dumb as you look." Lynn smirked at her own comment. "When is the attack supposed to happen?"

"Tomorrow. Shego is going to –"

"Shego is going to _kick your ass_." The green woman shoved open the cockpit door, then let her hands flame into life. Maria whirled, took one look at the flaring plasma, and dropped to the floor with her hands covering her head. Shego flicked out her fingers, launching a tiny globe of green flame into the communicator system. The former villain felt a moment of satisfaction when she saw Lynn instinctively duck the blast, despite being miles away. The camera and microphone blistered and then melted into a small pool of molten debris.

For a moment the room was silent, Maria crouched on the floor, Shego looming in the doorway. Then the Veligruan woman peered through her fingers.

"Did I do everything correctly?"

Shego let her lips curl into a satisfied smile. "You did great, kid."

* * *

"You are sure this ... subterfuge will keep Lucia safe?" Maria sat in the cockpit chair a few minutes later, her legs pulled up to her chest. She had her chin resting on her knees and her arms wrapped around her calves. It was a nervous, agitated posture.

"That's the plan." Shego shrugged as she tidied away the melted remnants of the auxiliary communicator system. "We can't _guarantee_ it, of course. But I think Betty was right when she said this was our best option. We rescued you to prevent you from being used as leverage against Pumpkin. But Lucia can be used as leverage on you; her family can be used on her; someone else can be used on them. We don't have the resources to rescue everybody, so we have to break the chain. Lynn and Harker now think that you've tried to betray us twice, and been discovered twice. They'll figure that your value as a spy against Princess is ruined. And that means that there's no point threatening Lucia to get you to turn on us."

"What if they just decide to kill her?" It wasn't the first time the Veligruan woman had asked the question. It probably wouldn't be the last. Generally speaking, Shego hated having to explain things more than once ... but in this case she could make an exception.

"Harker isn't likely to do that." The green woman rested a hand on Maria's shoulder and patted it gently. "Lucia might still have value as a bargaining chip. Nowhere near as much as she did, but still some. And she's in a work camp, so he gets the value of her labor. Harker's a man who sees things in terms of cost and benefit. Killing her definitely doesn't offer him any benefit: keeping her alive might."

"I hope you are correct." Maria took a shuddering breath, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I could never forgive myself if something happened to my Lucia."

"... you really love her, don't you?" Shego couldn't keep the wonder out of her voice.

"Of course!" Worry gave way to anger as Maria's head jerked up. She glared at the pale woman. "Just because we are lesbians doesn't make our love less real -"

"Woah! Woah!" The plasma-powered woman held up her hands in surrender. "I wasn't suggesting that!" Shego raked a hand through her hair. She didn't really want to explain why she had said what she had, but she could see the skepticism in the Veligruan woman's eyes. With a mental sigh of resignation, the green woman dropped to her haunches so she could look Maria in the eye. "Look ... it's not because you're both women. I just don't much believe in _love_, itself."

The Veligruan woman nodded. "Neither did I, before Lucia."

"Oh." Shego fell silent for a moment. The green woman was surprised, even though she didn't really have a reason to be. It wasn't like she _knew_ Maria. "... how did you two meet, anyway?"

"Prison."

"_Prison_?" Shego's voice rose half an octave on the second syllable.

"We are all jailbirds here, yes?" Maria managed a smile, the warmth of the expression turning her brown eyes almost golden. "Even Kim and Doctor Director."

"I guess." The green woman paused. She was loathe to ask the inevitable question ... but it really _was_ inevitable. "What were you in for?"

"Prostitution."

Shego gaped.

After a long moment of silence, a tiny wrinkle appeared in the center of Maria's forehead. "That is the correct term?" She asked. "For the exchange of sexual favors for money?"

"Uh ... yeah ... it's the right term." The plasma-powered woman croaked out the words, then gave herself a brisk mental shake. Slowly, she asked her next question, all the while reminding herself not to use the word 'hooker'. "You, uh ... did ... uh, that?"

"Yes." Maria cocked her head to one side, the faintest hint of a smile flickering around the corners of her mouth. "You are embarrassed."

The green woman opened her mouth to deny it, then realized how ridiculous that would be. "I just ... didn't expect it."

Maria sighed.

"You have seen the way Harker lives, yes? Mansions. Luxury cars. Have you ever wondered where the money comes from?"

"I've always focused on how to take it off him, not where he got it." Shego admitted, giving a puzzled frown at the apparent change of topic.

"Veligrua is more or less self-sufficient in basic foods." The Veligruan woman twisted one of her dark locks of hair around her little finger. "Plantains. Rice. Fish. Chayote. A little goat meat. If you work hard, your family will have enough to survive. Maybe even enough from time to time for a small luxury. And that is exactly how Harker plans it. He takes away our freedom to speak, or to love who we wish, but he leaves us enough to meet our survival needs. He understands that people who have _nothing_ to lose are the most likely to fight. So he gives us just enough to make us fear we would lose it if we oppose him."

Shego nodded. The green woman had seen similar tactics in other corrupt states. She'd always taken a particular delight in robbing the bloated fat cats at the top of such societies. It had been a case of stealing from the rich and ... well, keeping it for herself. The thief was surprised by a mild surge of guilt over that thought. Ruthlessly, she pushed it down. Clearly she'd been spending too much time with Kimmie.

"Okay. So how does that tie in with what we were talking about?" The plasma-powered woman tried to get her focus back on the original conversation.

"Veligura itself cannot support the lifestyle Harker and his people want to lead." Maria explained. "So the money must come from foreign companies ... from having them build factories, or send cruise ships, or otherwise make investments here. So steps are taken to ... _entice_ ... their representatives to recommend Veligrua as a site for their projects."

Shego's eyebrows rose. "Your own _government_ was using you as a prostitute?"

"My title was 'hostess'." Maria gave a wry quirk of her mouth at the term. "My _official_ responsibilities were to act as a guide and translator. That is how I learned English. The government never openly condoned anything else ... but if I wanted to keep my job, I needed to make sure the representatives I 'hosted' chose to invest here. We were expected to use every means of ... encouragement ... possible."

"Was the job really worth it?" Shego winced at her own question. "Sorry. You don't have to -"

Maria waved off the apology. "My family were not rich. My parents could put food on our table, but ... my work ... it paid for medicine ... for school ... for so many things we could not afford any other way."

Shego nodded her understanding of the point. Then she frowned. There was _one_ thing she still didn't understand. "But if what you were doing was government-sanctioned, even if it was unofficially ... why were you arrested for it?"

"If you wanted to get Kim to do something for you, how would you do it?"

"Whine." Shego grinned, surprising a chuckle out of the Veligruan woman. "I'd ask. Pumpkin can't resist helping someone who asks nicely. Why?"

"What if you wanted something from a criminal?"

"I'd use threats or force. Please and thank you doesn't work so well with them."

"The same can be true in government dealings and big contracts." Maria explained. "Some people respond better to threats and intimidation than to persuasion. So the police would wait until ... well, until the target was in bed with one of the girls ... and then they would burst in and arrest them both. After a few hours of letting the man wait in a cell, a government official would come see him and ..."

"Offer to make it all go away."

"Yes." The dark-haired Veligruan nodded. "The woman be sent to prison for a couple of months. This would stop her from talking to anyone she should not, you understand? It was a part of the job, we all knew it."

"And that's why you were in jail?" Shego waited for Maria's nod, then asked the obvious question. "Is that why Lucia was there, too?"

Maria laughed. "Oh no ... my Lucia has never been with a man. She was in prison for being a lover of other women."

"So they locked her up in a place where there was nothing _but_ other women." Shego rolled her eyes. She had little patience for laws of any kind, least of all the completely nonsensical ones.

"Perhaps it was not the best solution." Maria agreed, offering a small smile of her own. "But Lucia was committed to her lover ... who they _had_ thought to send to a different prison. So she was not ... looking for a romance."

"Oh." Shego considered this fact. "Then how did you two ... ?"

"Slowly." Maria chuckled. "Lucia was determined to go back to Elena ... her lover ... when she left the prison. And I ... initially I was very intimidated her."

"You were?" Shego couldn't hide her surprise. Maria did not seem like the kind of woman to scare easily.

"Oh, yes." The Veligruan woman nodded, a faint smile still flickering around her lips. She trailed off, obviously thinking about how to explain. Shego shifted, feeling a little uncomfortable. Heart to heart chats had never been her thing ... well, not since Alex. The green woman was just about to suggest they leave the topic when Maria spoke again. "You must understand, although I was in jail ... I was not a rebellious young woman. I did what was expected of me, to help my family. It was not something I chose for myself. But Lucia ... she refused to do that. She refused to be what society expected of her. She was already an activist for legalizing homosexuality. She was lucky to be sent to a normal prison, and not to a camp." Maria's smile grew even warmer. "I was lucky, too. Though I did not know it at the time. My Lucia ... you have never met her, and perhaps since you do not both speak the same language, it would not be so easy for you to see ... but she has this _intensity_ to her ... this _conviction_, that I have never seen in anyone else ... at least until I met Kim."

"Princess certainly is one of a kind."

"When I met Lucia ... she has these dark, dark eyes, almost black ..." Maria gestured at her own, far lighter eyes. "... I felt like I was falling into a bottomless well."

Shego was surprised. "That doesn't sound like a particularly comforting first impression."

"Comforting? No, it was not." Maria agreed, with a qry smile. "As I said, she frightened me. Here was this woman, who proudly professed to be a lesbian; something I had always been taught was shameful. A woman who refused to let anyone tell her 'no' –"

"That _does_ sound like Kimmie."

"But I was also fascinated by her ... it ..." The Veligruan woman paused again, searching for way to express how she'd felt. "You know how sometimes something can be utterly terrifying, but exhilarating at the same time?"

"Doy. You're talking to a life-long adrenaline-junkie."

"Ah, yes. Well, despite the fact that she seemed so strange to me, I was drawn to Lucia."

"So it was love at first sight?" Shego quirked her dark lips.

"Oh no." Maria shook her head, "Or if it was, I did not realize it. At first, I told myself I was drawn to Lucia because she was the only person in the prison who seemed to have honor. I am sure you know that prison can be a difficult and dangerous place -"

"Well, I never had too much trouble, personally." Shego smirked, "But I understand what you mean."

Maria nodded. "Lucia had been in the prison for a year when I arrived. She knew the way things worked, who not to cross ... she looked out for me, without asking for anything in return. Anyone else would have wanted _something_ ... money, cigarettes ..." The Veligruan woman trailed off, then sighed. "Lucia gave me her help simply because I needed it."

"And that was how you got together?"

"No. That did not happen until later." Maria shook her head. "I was only in the prison for two months. Then they released me. But we had become friends in that time, and we stayed in touch. After about a year, they released Lucia. They also released Elena at the same time, but ... it turned out that she had not been as loyal to Lucia as Lucia had been to her."

"Ah." Shego winced. "I can't imagine that went down very well."

"No. Lucia ..." Maria paused, then took a deep breath, remembering some of the emotions from that time. "... it was very hard for her. For the first time, I was there for Lucia, rather than the other way around. As much as it pained me to see her hurting, it made me feel ... warm inside ... that I was able to give her support. Return to her some of the help she had given me." The young woman rested her chin on her hand and gave a faint smile, her memories obviously dwelling on her partner.

"And that's when ..."

"When we fell in love? Yes. Though I didn't realize it at the time. I still told myself Lucia was just a friend. It was only when she felt ready to move on ... when she was able to put Elena in her past, and look for someone new ... that I began to admit to myself how I felt for her."

"Ah." Shego nodded. "So you were 'jellin'?"

Maria frowned uncertainly. "I do not know that word."

"Oh ... it's slang. They used it in the Club Bana- ... an advertising promotion a few years ago. It means you were jealous ... you didn't want anyone else to have her."

"Yes. That it is exactly." Maria nodded emphatically. "I was 'jellin' a great deal."

"That must have been tough ..." Shego paused. "... discovering you had romantic feelings for a woman, I mean."

"It was. Even after I realized how I felt, I couldn't admit it to anyone except myself." Maria brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and shook her head, slowly. "Not at first ... it took nearly a month before I told her." She gave a light chuckle. "My throat was so dry ... my hands were so damp. I still do not really remember exactly how I told her. What words I used, I mean."

"Couldn't Lucia tell you?"

Maria shook her head and gave another throaty chuckle. "She doesn't remember either. I was a nervous wreck, but she was in total shock at what I was telling her. It was... it was _not_ like in the movies, I think."

"Except that you did get together."

"Not then. Lucia needed some time to think about it." Maria sighed, and looked down at her hands. "It is one thing to be a whore's friend, but another thing to be her lover."

"She said _that_?"

"Oh, of course not. She would never hurt me that way. But Lucia is not a woman who can have a casual relationship ... she gives and expects true commitment, and part of that commitment is to be faithful. My profession did not allow that ... and of course I had never been with a woman ... though some of my clients had suggested it, I had never agreed. I was asking a lot for Lucia to trust me."

"You were still a ... a prostitute?"

"I was. I returned to it when I was released from jail. I never expected ..." Maria gestured vaguely, then suddenly smiled, a broad, heartfelt look of wonder. "I never expected my world to be turned upside down."

"It doesn't sound like you regret that."

"Not for a second. Not even in the worst times we've been through. Lucia is my world." Maria made the statement with calm confidence. "I would do anything for her."

"So I guess you quit the game?" Shego couldn't resist the smart-ass question.

"Yes. I stopped before I told Lucia how I felt." Maria either missed or ignored the flippancy of the green woman's remark. "I wanted her to know that I had chosen to end that part of my life ... that I would take that step for myself as well as for her. She gave me the strength to make that choice. And when she said yes to me ... it was the happiest day of my life."

"Even better than the day you first made love?" Shego waggled her eyebrows and gave a suggestive smirk.

"Oh." Maria blushed, and dropped her eyes. "Well, maybe it was the second happiest day of my life." There was a sudden huskiness to her voice. Shego's eyebrows paused mid-waggle, and instead shot upward.

"The sex was really _that _good?"

"It ... it was not about the sex, itself." Maria raised her eyes, and they were bright with happy memories. "Make no mistake: it was wonderful. But you must understand ... I had been with many men. Some of them were skilled and generous lovers. They gave me pleasure, as much as I gave pleasure to them. My body had been touched many times, in many ways. Lucia did something far more wonderful: she touched my heart."

A lifetime of cynicism should have pushed a snide remark to Shego's lips. She'd never experienced anything like what Maria was describing, and had not really believed such a connection could even exist. But now, faced with the warm glow of Maria's eyes, the green woman simply nodded. There could be no denying the truth that shone through the Veligruan woman's words.

"We should go check in with Betty." The former supervillain said at last, silently cursing the hoarse note that crept into her voice. She resolutely pushed down the unfamiliar pang - was it really envy? - she was feeling. When Shego spoke again, it was with the self-assured, sardonic tone she'd cultivated for so long. "She'll be turning even more gray waiting to hear how our little stunt went. Better not keep her waiting."

That was better. Cool and confident. Mask back in place.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Sorry about the _long_ wait between updates. I wish I could claim there were extenuating circumstances, but I have just been slack.

Maria's story ended up being longer than I expected when I started. I'm generally leery of giving too much time and attention to original characters in fanfic, but this chapter was just as much about Shego as it was about Maria and Lucia's story. Hopefully that came through in the text. :-)


	25. Calm Before the Storm

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0049

**Name:** Maria Bolivar

**Known Aliases:** Maria Mendes

**Relation to Suspect:** Former associate; Veligruan double-agent

**Location:** Unknown; believed to be with suspect.

**Interrogation: **Interrogation conducted by Veligruan personnel. Transcript provided to Global Justice indicates that subject admitted prior association with suspect, but expressed change of heart and willingness to work with authorities to recapture suspect.

**Biography:** Subject born to economically-disadvantaged family. Arrested for prostitution at age eighteen. Served three months' imprisonment, where subject came into contact with one Lucia Guevara (PI Ref 0050). Subject subsequently became involved in political agitation, with particular reference of homosexuality laws in Veligrua, likely as a result of this association. Subject arrested on two subsequent occasions: after a political rally, where she escaped from custody due to the intervention of the suspect, and following the introduction of Shego (PI Ref 0006) into this case. Subject subsequently agreed to assist the authorities in their investigation, but status as an agent has been discovered by suspect, and subject's value in this regard is now considered compromised.

**Surveillance:** Limited surveillance undertaken by Lynn Andretti (PI Ref 0047) during earlier stage of this investigation. Subject admitted contact with the suspect at this time. Subject's current whereabouts are unknown, and no further surveillance has been possible to date.

**Recommendation:** Attempt to identify subject's location and confirm safety.

**Additional Note: **_Personal Note by Global Justice Agent Leigh Gull._ The Veligruan account of the interrogation is dubious. The subject's alleged offer of assistance does not match her previous attitudes or behavior. It is notable that the subject's partner is currently in Veligruan custody, and the subject may have been coerced into cooperation.

**Additional Note:** _For Supervising Officer's Attention_. Please remind Agent Gull that Global Justice operates according to the principles of evidence and legal authority, not hunches and supposition. Director Ruth Lees.

* * *

"Hey guys." Kim looked up and gave a nod as Shego and Maria entered the Go Jet's meeting room. The redhead was seated across from Betty Director, who as usual had her attention focused on the computer screen in front of her.

"Hola." Rojo, sprawled lazily on Kim's shoulder, gave a welcoming wave of his own.

"Pumpkin. Rodent." Shego dropped into one of the empty chairs and propped her boots on the table. She flicked a glance at Betty. "Doctor D."

"Don't even _go_ there, Shego." Betty's narrowed her eye, then struck a couple of keys on the console before her. "Everything went smoothly?"

"Of course." The green woman gave a cocky smirk. "You can trust me."

"Yes, I rather think I can."

Now it was Shego's turn to narrow her eyes, giving Betty a cold stare.

"I'm not one of your obedient little minions, Betty."

For a moment, Doctor Director met her eyes silently, then finally she gave a wry smile.

"I simply meant that I can trust you to deliver what you promise. I assure you that I'm under no illusions as to where your loyalties ultimately lie."

Something about the older woman's bland expression rang false to Shego, but after a moment of silence she gave a mental and physical shrug. She'd made her point. Her word was good, but even when she was a sidekick, she'd never been a flunky, and she wasn't about to start.

"Maria did great." Shego let the matter rest, instead flicking a glance at the Veligruan woman, and giving her a nod of acknowledgment. "I knew the script, and even I half believed you were betraying us. You're quite the actress."

"Thank you." Maria dropped her eyes, her ducky skin growing darker than normal. "As you might understand, I ... have some experience in concealing my true thoughts."

Shego nodded again, remembering some of what the other woman had said of her career as a government-trained escort. From the corner of her eye, she saw Kim flash a puzzled glance at the Veligruan woman. Sensing that the redhead was about to ask for an explanation of the comment, and unsure that it would be something Maria would want to discuss so openly, the green woman cleared her throat, catching Kim's attention, and subtly flashed the signal for 'stop'. Kim's frown of puzzlement grew deeper, but she gave the slightest of nods, and did not speak.

"So ... " Maria turned her attention to Doctor Director. "... you asked me to tell General Harker's people about the attack on the Global Justice base. I assume that means you do not plan to actually make that attack. So what will you do instead?"

"Nothing."

"I do not understand. Was that not the point of the message?" Maria frowned. "If Global Justice is concentrating on their base, you could safely strike somewhere else."

"We could." Betty agreed. "But there are two good reasons why we shouldn't. The first is Lucia."

"_Lucia_?" Maria's voice rose a little, her concern for her partner immediately apparent.

"The point of having you send the message was to make Harker and GJ think that you had stuck to your deal." Kim gently explained, reaching across the table to lay her hand on top of Maria's. "If we attack somewhere else, they'll realize that was our plan all along, and we'd put Lucia in a great deal of danger."

"Oh!" Maria's free hand flew to her mouth and a look of horror etched its way across her face, as she listened to Kim's explanation.

"We're not going to do that." Shego assured the younger woman. "As far as Harker will know, you warned him about the attack on GJ, we found out you'd done it, and cancelled the attack."

Kim nodded reassuringly. "They'll have no reason to think that you did anything except try to help them."

"Thank you." Maria swallowed. "Thank you all. I am just sorry that you have had to cancel your plans to help me."

"We didn't. We never actually planned to attack the Global Justice base." Betty shook her head. "Like I said, there were two reasons not to launch any operations in the next forty-eight hours."

Shego frowned. "You never mentioned a second reason before tonight. I figured protecting Lucia and Maria was enough -"

"It _is_ enough." Kim insisted.

"Indeed it is." Betty held up her hands. "But that doesn't change the fact that there is a second reason."

"Which is?" The green woman folded her arms.

"You and Kimberley."

"Huh?" Kim looked confused.

"Me and Princess ... ?" Shego swung her legs to the floor and half-rose from her chair. "What do you mean by _that_?"

"Give me a moment, and I'll explain." Betty kept her own voice calm and measured. The older woman waited silently until the former supervillain subsided back into her chair, then spoke again. "You and Kimberley have both been constantly active; constantly planning and executing missions; for a long time, now. You fought each other in Veligrua ... where you, Shego, were seriously injured ... then got captured by Global Justice. You escaped, but then almost immediately broke into the most secure facility in the world in order to rescue me. That time, it was Kimberley who suffered a significant injury. With barely any time to recover, you executed a difficult robbery from a highly secure location, then flew back to Veligrua where Kim had to rescue Maria and Shego had to destroy the Veligruan air force. I don't need to remind either of you how dangerous _that_ turned out to be."

"Your point?" The dark-haired woman asked, arms still folded defensively.

Betty sighed. "... that despite your plasma powers, and Kim's exceptional skills, the two of you are still as subject to fatigue and exhaustion as anyone else. You've been pushing yourselves to the limit for over two weeks, now."

"I can handle it." Shego grunted. It wasn't that she was opposed to the idea of some time off ... she just didn't care for the insinuation that she _needed_ it.

"So not the drama." Kim protested at almost the same moment.

"Loco." Rojo stared back and forth between the two protesting women, then buried his face in his paws.

"Maybe I've being over-cautious." Although her words were conciliatory, it was clear from her expression that Betty shared the mole rat's opinion. "But I know I could do with a break, and since circumstances require us to lay low for a couple of days anyway, why not indulge an old woman? Do it for Lucia and Maria's sakes, if not your own."

"Well ..." Faced with that request, Kim's resistance faltered.

"Fine." Shego rolled her eyes. She knew when she'd been out-maneuvered. "Taking a couple of days off does sound kinda tempting. I need to touch up my manicure."

* * *

"I spoke to Maria."

"Huh?" Shego lifted the corner of the previous month's _Villainy_ magazine off her face and peered up at Kim. The redhead clucked her tongue as she stared down at the green woman.

"For a woman who never seems to tan, you sure like to sunbathe. I'm not even gonna _ask_ where you managed to find a bikini."

Shego was sprawled on a beach towel she'd rolled out on one of the Go Jet's wings. She'd been there since the sun got high enough to make it worthwhile. Despite her reluctance to admit her need for a break, the green woman had to concede that she'd enjoyed the lazy morning. Of course, 'nothing' was one of her three favorite things to do.

"One of the many beauties of my unique complexion, Princess ... I get the pleasure of snoozing in the sun without worrying about melanin or melanomas."

"Wish I was that lucky." The younger woman sighed, and briefly squinted up at the bright Caribbean sun. "But at least my skin isn't quite as fair as my mom's. She burns even faster than I do."

"Hmmm." Somehow, the former supervillain doubted that Kim can come to discuss tanning tips. "Been ditched by your mole rat buddy, I see."

"Rojo worked out how to tap the monitors on the Go Jet into the satellite TV signal. I think he's got about fifteen channels of wrestling up there. We won't see him for hours."

"So you figured you'd come bother me, instead?"

"Well, first I spoke to Maria." Kim repeated her earlier statement as she settled herself on the wing next to Shego. The redhead pushed a strand of hair away from her face. "She told me about ... about what you two talked about, last night."

"Ah." Shego pulled the magazine off her face and sat up. "Pretty heavy stuff. Life ... and Harker ... have thrown a lot of shit her way."

"They sure have ... it's hard to imagine being forced to make the kind of choices Maria had to deal with."

"Yeah." Shego agreed. "I don't envy what she's been through."

"I feel kinda embarrassed that you were the one who found out about it." Kim shook her head. "I've known Maria longer than you, but I never thought to ask ..."

"I wouldn't take it too hatd, Princess." Shego sprawled back, resting her weight on her elbows, and gave the younger woman a wry look. "I'm guessing that when Maria talked about what she felt for Lucia, you just accepted it. I'm a bit more cynical, is all."

Kim nodded, then glanced down almost bashfully. When she spoke again, it was in a quiet voice. "Maria mentioned what you'd said ... that you don't really believe in love. Is that true?"

"I ..." Shego straightened again and rubbed her temple with one hand. This wasn't really a conversation she wanted to have with anyone, let along her former archenemy, but she had a sneaking suspicion that Kim wouldn't let the matter rest. "I guess the way I see it is that a lot of people talk about love, but most often that's all it is ... talk. And while I may be a thief, I'm not generally a liar ..." The green woman flashed a grin. "... not unless there's a lot of money on the line, at least."

"So I guess you've never been in love?" Kim tucked her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, and pillowed her cheek on one knee as she looked over at the older woman.

"Love?" Shego snorted. "There's only a handful of people in the world I even _like_." The green woman paused, then gave a mental shrug. As long as Kim was asking personal questions, she felt she had a right to do the same. "What about you? You ever feel for someone the way Maria does for Lucia?"

The former teen hero bit her lip silently for a moment, then sighed. "... yeah."

"_Really_?" Shego's eyebrows shot up. As far as she knew, there'd only ever been one serious relationship in Kim's life. "... you mean ... you and Stoppable?"

"I did _marry_ him, Shego." A little of the redhead's usual chutzpah emerged in the dry answer, and Kim even managed a brief half smile, though the expression faded as she continued to speak. "I would never have done that if I didn't truly love him. We had ... I guess five really good years together. After the whole Lorwardian sitch, Ron really blossomed. He had real confidence in himself ... maybe for the first time ever. Things were great all through college, and when we got married, I truly believed we'd spend the rest of our lives together."

"... so what went wrong?" Shego remembered how, when the news of Kim and Ron's divorce had hit the In-Terror-Net, there'd been rampant speculation about the cause. She'd stayed aloof from the theorizing, considering it all to be vacuous gossip. It was startling, five years later, to find herself genuinely caring about the answer. Startling, and more than a little unsettling.

Kim sighed. "I ... I think we both took it for granted ... when Ron started to question what GJ were doing, that was when the cracks appeared. I ... I probably should have listened more to what he was telling me ... and maybe he should have tried harder to get me to do so. I don't know. Maybe if we'd both paid more attention, and worked a little harder, we wouldn't have started to drift apart. But we didn't do that, and we lost each other." The redhead ran a hand through her hair. "Relationships are hard work, you know?"

"Nope." Shego gave an exaggerated sigh of contentment. "Closest I ever came to having one was with Doctor D, and I came to my senses pretty fast over that little moment of madness."

Kim chuckled and shook her head. "There are other kind of relationships than romances, Shego. Like you and me ... we spent years fighting each other all over the world, but we worked together to get past that, and here we are ... friends."

"Oh man, the f-word." Shego rolled her eyes.

"Well ..." for a moment, the younger woman looked uncertain. "We are, aren't we? Friends, I mean?"

Shego sighed, and lay back, closing her eyes. "Yes, alright? We're compadres. Sisters-in-arms. 'Friends'." She made air quotes with her fingers. Then a sly thought occurred to her. She opened her eyes once more, and gave the other woman a smirk. "You know, that's how Maria and Lucia started out. Maybe if _we_ keep working on our relationship, we'll end up in _luuuuuuuuuuuuurve _like them?" The green woman waggled her eyebrows.

The redhead gaped at the older woman for a moment, then gave a snort. "You could do a lot worse ... and probably have."

"Damn!" Shego laughed despite herself, as she mimed clutching her wounded heart. "That's harsh, Pumpkin."

"Two words: _Doctor Drakken_."

"Yeah, yeah. You've made your point." Shego rolled her eyes, then shook her head ruefully. "The sad thing is, that's more or less what happened with the Doc. We started out as colleagues, and the neurotic blue goon somehow grew on me ... kinda like a fungus."

"Me and Ron, too." Kim admitted. "Well, not the fungus part. But being friends first, then something more ... I think it's probably not that uncommon. When you have a strong bond with someone already, it's not that big a stretch for it to turn into something more."

"Hmmm." Shego gave a noncommittal grunt, then lay back on the wing of the Go Jet once more, lacing her fingers over her chest and studying the azure sky. Kim, too, sat in silence, resting her back against the fuselage of the aircraft that was now their base of operations. Several minutes passed in companionable silence before the redhead felt the need to speak again.

"I have to admit, it's nice to be able to just relax for once. I know neither of us was all that happy about it when she made the decision, but I think Doctor Director was right to make us take a break."

"Yeah." Shego agreed contentedly. "Mama Betty is okay."

"Just as long as you don't let her hear you call her that." Kim's observed, in dry tones.

"She doesn't scare me." Shego deliberately kept her tone flippant.

"Uh huh." Kim didn't sound convinced. "Well _I'm_ definitely a lot happier knowing she's on our side, rather than against us."

"It's not a terrible thing to know she's not the one gunning for us." Shego conceded. "Though Lees is bad news, too. She doesn't have Betty's experience in running a crime-fighting organization like GJ, but this is personal for her. She'll be willing to go to lengths Betty never would."

Kim frowned thoughtfully. "I think it's more a matter of intent and purpose. Doctor Director has always been willing to go to great lengths to protect the world ... she's made sacrifices and compromises in her own beliefs, and with her own life, that when it came down to it, I couldn't match -"

"For what it's worth, _I_ think _you_ made the right choice, there." Shego interrupted.

Kim smiled, briefly. "Thanks for the support."

"Hey, that's what friends do, right? Or at least, so I've heard."

The flippant remark actually provoked a wry chuckle from the redhead. "Sounds like you may actually be getting the hang of this friendship thing. I hope you're right. It's just ... when Ron left, it made me take another look at the assumptions I'd made about my life ... about what I wanted. A big part of that was looking at Doctor Director, and seeing -"

"That I was an over-worked, humorless bureaucrat with a stick up my ass?" The woman in question interrupted. The former head of Global Justice stood just inside the Go Jet's over-wing exit hatch.

"Doctor Director!" Kim squeaked, flushing pink. "That wasn't ..."

"Wasn't how you would have phrased it?" The older woman suggested in dry tones, as she leaned against the frame of the hatch. "I know that, Kimberley. But the fact of the matter is, I sacrificed _too much_ in my role as head of Global Justice. You were right to walk away from that. I just wish I never persuaded you to stay so long ... perhaps if you had left earlier, you could have saved your marriage ... perhaps you wouldn't be a fugitive, now."

"The past can't be changed, Doctor." Kim shook her head slowly. "We can only make the best of what we have now. If I had merely resigned from Global Justice ... if I was still with Ron ... what would have happened here in Veligrua? What would have happened to Maria? To Lucia?"

"Hell, what would have happened to _me_?" Shego spread her hands. "I'm willing to bet that little sneak Lynn would have turned on me eventually, whatever you'd done. At least the way things played out, I had a suicidally noble hero on hand."

"How could I overlook _that_?" Kim shot a look of amusement at the green woman. "Yes: the most important thing. I was in the right place to save Shego's ass."

"Damn straight it's the most important thing." Shego mock-huffed. "For one thing, I have a _fabulous_ ass. For another, I'm _very_ attached to it."

"As I was saying, before I was interrupted ..." Kim placed a hand over the green woman's mouth. "... if I'd left GJ earlier, some things would have been better, and some would have been worse. Some would have just been ... different. Yes, when Ron and I split up, things were hard for both of us. And I will always care for him. But I've kept tabs on him as best I can, and I know he's found happiness again, now, with Tara."

"What about _your_ happiness, Kimberley?" Betty asked quietly. "And yours, Shego? I let my work consume my life ... even if I hadn't had to make compromises as part of that work, that would have been a mistake. It's not one I want to see either of you repeat."

"No chance of that." Shego pushed Kim's hand aside in order to interject. "I like my fun too much. Once we've dealt with Harker and Lees ... and Lynn ... then there's a beach with my name on it. Hopefully with some eye-candy in a swimsuit, to keep me amused."

"Nice to see _you're_ all class, as usual." Kim rolled her eyes at the green woman, then turned her attention back to Betty. "But I understand what you're saying. Assuming all goes to plan, I'm going to be pretty busy for a while ... but I'll try and find time for a break. Maybe I can spend a few days on Shego's beach, if she doesn't mind some company."

"I guess you can visit." The plasma-powered woman allowed, magnanimously. "But you have to arrange your own eye candy."

* * *

**Author's Note:** At last Shego and Kim broach the subject of becoming a couple, though it's only in jest, so far ... or at least, so they tell themselves :-)

Kim's romantic relationship with Ron gets a more generous treatment here than in many KiGo fics. This was mainly a meta-textual choice. Ron as a lousy lover / lousy partner has been a bit overdone (though it has to be said that the writers _did_ make him a big douche in the first half of season four).

I debated whether or not to do a PI file for a Maria right now, since there are still several recurring characters from the show I could cover, and I just revealed a lot of her background last chapter. But in the end I went ahead with it, in order to give an insight into GJ's perspective of the her and her situation.

Next chapter, after their much needed break, the good guys put their plans into action. Of course, Harker and Lees also have their own surprises in store ...


	26. Right on Target

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0018

**Name:** Duff Killigan

**Known Aliases:** The World's Most Dangerous Golfer, Laird Killigan of Montrose

**Relation to Suspect:** Former adversary

**Location:** Various golf courses throughout Europe.

**Interrogation: **Subject agreed to interview in exchange for lifetime membership at St Andrew's Golf Club. During interview, subject denied any knowledge of, or interest in, the suspect's whereabouts.

**Biography:** Only child of the forty-third Laird of Montrose, the subject showed a prodigal talent for golf from an early age. The sport became an obsession, and the subject turned to a life of crime to support and enhance this fixation. Subject had several encounters with the suspect during the suspect's high school career, but was thwarted on all occasions. Subject's father died eight years ago, granting the subject access to the full resources of the Killigan inheritance. Other than several trespassing charges for using golf courses without a proper membership, the subject is not known to have broken the law since this occurred.

**Surveillance:** Full time surveillance undertaken for 1 month. No indication of contact with the suspect.

**Recommendation:** Minimal risk of contact with suspect. Reduce surveillance to electronic-only on intermittent basis.

* * *

Static howled in Shego's ear. The green woman grimaced, her head involuntarily jerking to the side from the sudden uproar. She touched her fingers to the control tab at her throat, reducing the volume to a more tolerable level.

"Betty?" the former thief sub-vocalized. "You there, Betty?" The only reply was a vigorous crackle of static. The green woman shot a quick glance to make sure there was no-one approaching her position, then faded into the shadows. Another touch of the tab changed the radio's signal to a more powerful, but shorter range transmission.

"Princess? You hear me?"

"... yeah." Kim's voice sounded little fuzzy in her ear, the words underlaid with a faint mechanical hum. "Quite a ... of interference, though."

"Heavy jamming just kicked in." Shego agreed, her eyes constantly active as she stayed alert for threats. "Can't raise Betty at all. Looks like we were expected."

"Looks like." The redhead's dry tone was not at all diminished by the interference on the channel. "But ... knew that ... possibility. Go to case two?"

"Go to case two." Shego confirmed. She paused. "Stay safe."

"You too." The radio crackled again as Kim cut the connection.

Shego rolled her eyes. "Like that'll be a problem." She muttered to herself. "_I'm_ not the one with the hero complex."

* * *

Twenty-four hours earlier, Rojo had lazily opened one eye as Shego entered the Go Jet's briefing room. He'd given a soft snort of acknowledgment as the green woman dropped casually into the one of the comfortable chairs and propped her feet on the edge of the table. Within seconds, a nail file was whisking its way back and forth across the tips of her fingers.

"Still in holiday mood, I see, Shego." Betty didn't look up from her computer screen, her fingers flickering over the keyboard with their usual confidence.

"You gave us two days off, Bets." The former thief made a show of looking at her wrist. "That's forty-eight hours. By my reckoning, we have seven more minutes of fun and freedom."

Kim, on whose shoulder Rojo was comfortably dozing, gave a snort of amusement. "You aren't even wearing a watch." The redhead paused as her mole rat companion gave a soft chitter of annoyance as his previously stable perch moved beneath him. "Sorry, little man."

"I have an exceptional natural body clock." Shego dismissed Kim's objection with breezy confidence.

"No doubt." For a second, it almost looked like there was a smirk on Betty's lips. "Though perhaps on this occasion we might stoop to using the admittedly far less accurate timekeeping of the Go Jet's computers?"

"Like I'd trust any computer _you'd_ been near."

Betty actually let out a dry chuckle. "Your confidence in my abilities is gratifying, but I'm not really all that skilled with computers. Certainly I'd be no match for someone of Wade Load's abilities, for instance."

"You seem to do just fine hacking into GJ's records."

"Ah, but there's the thing." The one-eyed woman demurred. "I'm not really hacking at all. I'm simply using code that was built into the system by Mr Load, at my express instruction. As far as Global Justice is concerned, all my access looks like routine, day-to-day administration tasks, performed by agent Fiona Reece of our ... of Global Justice's Antarctic Office."

Shego raised an eyebrow. "_Why_ does GJ have an Antarctic Office?"

"Penguins." Kim said absently, as her fingers deftly turned a sheet of paper into what looked like an origami version of the aforementioned aquatic avian.

"Penguins?"

"A few years ago, Professor Dementor had a plot that involved cybernetically-altered Emperor Penguins." Betty sighed. "Kimberley thwarted it, but there could still be a few of his experiments out there, so there was a need to keep an eye on them." The older woman tapped several buttons on her keyboard. "Anyway, that's the secret of my apparent computer skills. I can walk right in the front door of the Global Justice network. And from there, I can use Global Justice's own systems to gain entry to all kinds of supposedly secure sites ... like the Veligruan records I've been using for the last week or so."

"Sneaky." Shego said the word approvingly.

"Sensible." Betty countered. "I had to plan for the possibility that Global Justice itself might one day be compromised. I admit, though, that I expected I'd need this failsafe under different circumstances ... some scheme of Sheldon's, most likely. Now, we've probably just used up those seven minutes you were asking for, so how about we get started?"

"If we must." The dark-haired woman allowed with a languid wave of her hand. Rojo roused himself enough to give a scornful raspberry, but it was a rather half-hearted effort.

"The rodent okay?" Shego's eyebrows rose.

"Okay? Soy _asombroso_."

"He's fine." Kim reached up to gently scratch the back of Rojo's head. "Just a bit sleepy. _Someone_ spent all night watching wrestling and eating junk food, didn't they, little man? He's in a post-sugar rush coma. You should have seen him an hour ago ... he was completely wired."

Rojo snorted his displeasure at this betrayal by his supposed compatriot. Admittedly, the green woman had demonstrated that she could be a valuable ally and cohort. Still, there were some things that were supposed to remain private between a mole rat and his human.

"Well, I for one am glad to see you all in such a fine mood." Betty acknowledged. "Obviously the last couple of days really agreed with you. I'm sorry to say that things haven't been quite so enjoyable for our old friends at Global Justice."

"Qué verguenza."

"What's the sitch?" Kim asked, leaning forward slightly. Rojo considered grumbling again at the movement, but instead sighed and slid down the redhead's arm, nestling himself in the crook of her elbow, instead. Perhaps that tenth snack _had_ been a mistake, after all. A brownie too far, so to speak.

"It seems we've stirred up something of a hornet's nest within Global Justice." Betty's reported. "The message Maria gave them - that we had detailed plans of their base, specifically – has prompted a massive audit of personnel. There's only a couple of ways we could have got information like that ... the first and most likely of which is that a Global Justice agent gave it to us."

"So Lees is running a witch hunt on her own people?" The plasma-powered woman felt a strong sense of satisfaction at the thought. "Nice. I bet _that's_ good for morale."

"There does seem to be widespread dissatisfaction with the new regime." There was a definite note of pleasure in Betty's voice as she delivered the news.

"How do we know that?" Kim asked, her fingers still idly scratching the back of Rojo's head. "I mean, it makes sense ... but how did you get the data?"

"Even Global Justice agents use work e-mail for personal reasons, Kimberley." Betty paused. "... despite the warnings I issued about the security implications, when I was in charge of operations."

Shego snorted. "You're no fun, Bets."

"Running an international law enforcement agency is not about _fun_, Shego." Despite her words, the one-eyed woman's tone was mild. "Though I did feel a certain amount of pleasure every time we locked you up."

"Not as much as I felt breaking out."

"Please." Kim held up a hand to forestall any further verbal sparring. "Let's leave the bickering for later and keep our focus on the important questions. Like, was I right about Noelene and Will?"

Shego blinked, surprised by the seemingly left-field question. Betty, on the other hand, gave the redhead a stern look.

"Kimberley, I went through these e-mails in order to gather intelligence for our operations, not to verify your pet theory about Agents Harm and Du."

"I know you did." Kim nodded agreeably, then grinned. "So I _was_ right."

Betty sighed. "Fine. Yes, based on their private e-mails, Agent Du and Agent Harm are romantically involved."

The former cheerleader looked pleased with herself. "Spankin'! I _knew_ there had to be a reason he always delivered his paperwork to her in person. Not even Will likes bureaucracy _that_ much."

"I can't believe I'm saying this ..." Shego gave a theatrical shudder. "... but aren't we supposed to be talking about fighting the good fight? I mean, if you prefer to talk about GJ's office romances some more, that's cool, I'll just head outside and catch some rays until you're done -"

"That won't be necessary." Doctor Director said coolly, hands moving across the keyboard in front of her. A slew of images flickered on the large projection screen, before settling on a table of figures. "You're quite tanned enough as it is." This last was delivered without even a hint of a smirk, which Shego grudgingly found impressive. "And we have more important matters to discuss. As I was saying earlier, from Lees's perspective, the most likely source of our information is an informant within Global Justice. Which is why a large number of agents are on field suspension, or under investigation. However, Lees also has to consider the possibility that I have somehow gained access to Global Justice's computer systems."

"Which, 'somehow'," Sprawling back in her chair, Shego paused long enough in her manicure to lazily make air quotes, "You have."

Betty nodded. "In order to counter this possibility, Lees appears to be creating a new Global Justice facility, here on Veligrua. This facility will handle all records to do with their plans to thwart or capture us."

"How will that help them?" Kim asked. The redhead cocked her head to one side, causing a thick strand of hair to slip free and dangle across her face. "If you have access to their systems, building a new base won't change that."

"The new facility will _not_ be connected to the central Global Justice system." Doctor Director brought up a graphic, displayed a host of computers all linked together, then clicked a button to add another computer, this one completely unconnected from any of the others. "There will be no physical or wireless link between this facility and the rest of the Global Justice network."

"Which means that the only way to access the systems there is to actually be on site?" Kim nibbled at her lower lip at Betty's nodded reply. "That will add a lot of overhead to their operations ... data entry and the like."

"It will. But it will also leave us blind to what they're doing." Betty switched the display back to the columns of figures that had been shown earlier. "That's not something we can afford, right now."

"Wait a second." Shego straightened up in her chair, feeling a slow crawl of disquiet in the back of her brain. "Something doesn't add up. They suspect you may have access to their systems, so they build a new site you can't reach ... but then just leave details of it on the system they think is insecure, so you can find it? That smells like bait for a trap, to me."

"I didn't just stumble across a file marked 'Secret Plan for a New Base'." Doctor Director gave the ghost of a smile. "A hacker I might not be, but I was a pretty good investigator in my day, and I'm definitely a good administrator." She gestured up at the reams of figures on the screen. "A new base costs a lot of money and requires a lot of infrastructure. These are all Global Justice projects with expenses in the last forty-eight hours for equipment and personnel, but when you try and track the requisitions, they've been diverted to other sites, written off as operating losses, or otherwise 'misplaced'."

Kim nodded her understanding. "So in other words, they're building the base, but they're trying to hide that they're doing it."

"Exactly."

"Huh." Shego felt a little mollified by the explanation. Nonetheless ... "Surely they'd suspect you might work out what they were doing? Which means it could still be a trap."

"It could." To the green woman's surprise, Doctor Director nodded her agreement. "If we've been using system access to keep tabs on Global Justice, as we have, then a facility like this is not something we can afford to ignore. Lees is smart enough to know that. The base may not exist at all. Or, perhaps more likely, since building it does make sense as a security measure ... the base does exist, but it's _also_ a trap."

"So what's the plan?" Shego decided to get to the heart of the matter. "Go in and trash the place, and if it is a trap, fight our way out?" She paused, a sudden doubt occurring to her. "You _do_ actually know where this place is, Betty?"

"I wouldn't have started this briefing if I didn't." The one-eyed woman's fingers flew across the keyboard, now bringing up a map of Veligrua, on which a small dot glowed. "It took a lot of digging over the last two days, but I eventually found enough information to get a fix on where the facility was located. But no, the plan is _not_ to trash the place. That _would_ delay construction, but not by much. Global Justice has automated construction equipment that can complete a facility from scratch in just a few days. I imagine this base is more than half-finished, already. Worse, an obvious attack would be a strong indication to Lees that we were getting our information through the computers. We need to sneak in without being spotted -"

"That's gonna be tough if it _is_ a trap." Shego pointed out.

"- and place a RAID into their system."

"A raid?"

"Remote Access Interface Device." Kim supplied the definition.

"So in other words, a bug."

"Something like that, yes." Betty rolled her eye. "The RAID will let me access the systems in the facility."

"Assuming that we're not walking into a trap."

"Assuming that, yes."

"Huh." Very deliberately, Shego put her boots up on the edge of the table. "And if we _are_?"

* * *

"'I have a couple of contingency plans for _that_, Shego'." The green woman muttered to herself as she ducked under a blast of laser fire from an automated turret, then melted the security weapon with a plasma-blast of her own. "You know what, Betty? Right now you can take those contingency plans and stuff 'em up your - damn it!" Shego threw herself forward as a wash of heat across her back warned her of a second, concealed laser turret.

The mission had started well enough. Shego and Kim - the redhead accompanied by Rojo - had infiltrated the location of the base without incident. That there really _was_ a base had immediately been clear. The two women had slipped past two layers of security sensors; state of the art equipment, but nothing that would trouble either of them; then made their way down into one of Veligrua's many valleys. Enormous expanses of camouflage cloth shielded the base of the valley from aerial reconnaissance, but offered no protection from their ground-level infiltration. Massive, A.I.-controlled earth-moving equipment and deep gouges in the earth marked the entrance of the subterranean facility Ruth Lees intended to capture the very people who were now sneaking into it.

Following Betty's plan, they'd then parted ways. Kim was to do ... something ... with the construction equipment. The pale woman hadn't really been paying attention to that part of the briefing. She tended to tune out anything that didn't relate to her own objectives, or that at the very least gave her a chance to tweak Betty. Years of working with Drakken had honed her ability to tune out while still appearing to be listening.

The one thing Shego _had_ picked up about Kim's part of the operation was that it was the support role. The green woman had the 'key objective' in this plan. She was the one who had to get right into the base and plant the RAID in the computer banks that had already been installed. She was the one who had to go to the area where, if there _was_ a trap, it was most likely to be found.

"Yeah, genius ... and you were dumb enough to be _smug_ about going into harm's way. Next time, remember to leave the heroics to the hero." The former supervillain somersaulted to her feet and flicked a wave of plasma at the new turret. Machinery whirred into life as the laser barrels tried to track her, and instead turned straight into the blast. Molten metal sprayed in all directions. Shego took a moment to punch the air in satisfaction.

Her good mood rapidly turned sour as she heard the sound of running feet. _Lots_ of running feet. Shego would back herself against any GJ agent ever born ... well, except one ... but an entire army of them was another matter.

"To the left and behind me, again. I'm being herded." The pale woman muttered to herself as she sprinted down another corridor and veered to the right, away from the noise of the pursuing agents. She keyed the transmitter in her collar once more. "Hey Pumpkin. You still there?"

There was a burst of static, then very faintly through the howl, a voice that sounded like Kim's, though the words were indistinguishable.

"Shit. If that's you, Princess, I can't make out a word you're saying, so just listen ... if you can hear me, that is." Shego ducked sideways into a new corridor. "I'm almost at the exit from the base. You can't do any more to help me now, so break off your diversion and get outta there." Immediately the message was sent, the green woman clicked off the receiver. It was unlikely she was going to hear back through the static, and if she did ... well, she didn't want Kimmie asking any difficult questions.

After all, everything she'd just said was a lie. She wasn't sure exactly where she was, but she knew it was deep within the base, and that there were scores of Global Justice agents between her and the exit ... wherever that was. Better that Princess think she was safe and get out now, rather than trying to come to the rescue and end up with both of their necks in a noose.

"Because she would _definitely_ do something self-sacrificing like that." Shego sighed, shaking her head. "I don't get these hero types. You'd never catch me putting someone else's skin ahead of my own."

She sprinted on, ears and eyes straining for the next threat.

* * *

As traps went, it was a pretty damn good one, Shego had to admit that.

She skidded to a halt as the door opposite her suddenly slammed shut, and whirled to go back the way she had come. But that door, too, had irised closed, stranding her in the middle of the open, amphitheater-like chamber.

Another hiss of hydraulics, and the walls above her opened, revealing a balcony ringed with dozens of Global Justice agents, all armed with rapid-firing blasters. On the other lower level, automated turrets rose up out of the floor, their muzzles fixing on her location.

"A surprise party, just for me?" Shego laid her had over her heart and feigned pleasure. "And here I am, still in my work clothes." She dropped into a crouch, hands falling to her sides and flaring with plasma.

"Now, now, Shego." A huge video screen flared to life behind the GJ agents. Ruth Lees appeared upon it, a cold smile on her face. "No need for fireworks, yet. Not when haven't got to the _real_ surprise." Something about the smug delivery sent a cold crawl of discomfort down the green woman's back, but she shrugged it off and fixed the video screen with her best glare.

"I've got nothing to say to you, Lees."

"Really, Shego, is the false bravado necessary?" Lees contrived to look both amused and bored at the same time. Shego contemplated blasting the video screen, just for kicks. "Given your tactical situation, I would think that negotiation would be in your best interests."

"Funnily enough, I find it hard to believe that talking to you will _ever_ be in my best interest." Shego let her lip curl into a sneer. Maybe, if she got under Lees's skin, the other woman would let slip something useful for her to take back to Kimmie. She resolutely clamped down on the little voice that doubted she _would_ get back to Kim. "You may have screwed me once before, Lees, but don't count on it to happen again. Last time I just had my lame-ass brothers to back me up. This time I've got two of the smartest, toughest women on the planet. What have you got? Lynn Andretti and that tin-pot tyrant Harker?"

"As capable as Ms Possible and Ms Director may be ..." Lees's smile grew wider and colder, looking more and more like that of a shark. "... neither of them is there, are they? You're on your own."

Shego shrugged. "Alone or not, I'd back myself against your goons." That admittedly empty boast actually elicited a smug chuckle from the video-screen. The green woman once more clamped down on the desire to slag it. "And even if they did somehow get lucky, I bet I can do a whole lot of damage before they do."

"Oh, I have no doubt you could cause some damage." Lees folded her arms, her broad smile giving way to a triumphant sneer. "You've always been good at that. But I don't think you will. I think you'll give up quietly."

Shego snorted. "If you think that, you're higher than Everest."

"Tut tut, Shego." Lees waved an admonishing finger. "As your former employer used to tell you, words hurt. Now you've insulted me, just like you insulted my allies. And really, you ought to show Ms Andretti more respect. She's got some interesting ideas. That plan to turn the Bolivar girl against Ms Possible by using her lover as leverage, for instance. _That_ was good strategy. A fine idea, indeed. It just had the wrong target." Lees leaned forward into the camera, her eyes locking with Shego's as her voice dripped venom. "Whereas I think you'll find that _my_ aim is spot-on."

The screen snapped to a new image: a sandy-haired woman lying in a hospital bed, her body connected to a series of medical machinery. The only sound was the soft hiss of the respirator, but to Shego it sounded like the roar of a terrible storm, as one word hammered her mind over and over and over again.

_Alex_.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Is that a cliff from which my story is hanging? I think it might be. :-)

Lees is certainly pulling out all the stops now, eh? How will Shego react to this threat to someone she obviously holds very dear? Should be interesting to find out!

Any ironic statements you detected in this chapter are wholly intentional, by the by. :-)


	27. In Enemy Hands

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0017

**Name:** DNAmy

**Known Aliases:** Amy Hall

**Relation to Suspect:** Former adversary, fellow Cuddler (Cuddle Buddy enthusiast)

**Location:** Fiske Manor, Monkey Island, Berkshire, United Kingdom.

**Interrogation: **Subject indicated no knowledge of suspect's whereabouts. Subject's offer of 'assistance' from her genetic creations in pursuing suspect was declined on ethical grounds.

**Biography:** A former president of the Cuddle Buddy Fan Club, the subject used her advanced skills in genetics and biology to create living examples of the plush toy line. These experiments, as well as several others conducted by the subject, contravened numerous international agreements on scientific ethics. The subject had several hostile encounters with the suspect. The subject subsequently exhibited an (apparently unrequited) romantic interest in Montgomery Fiske (PI Ref 0016). Following the Lorwardian invasion (Case Ref ALIENS-07-003), the subject accepted a Global Justice offer of amnesty, and assistance in restoring Fiske from his current, stone form, in return for discontinuing her illegal research. The subject has undertaken no known illegal operations since that agreement.

**Surveillance:** Electronic surveillance undertaken for 1 month. No indication of contact with the suspect.

**Recommendation:** Minimal risk of contact with suspect. Discontinue surveillance.

**Additional Note:** _GJ Governing Council Eyes Only_. Due to the increased priority of this case, the subject's offer of assistance is being reviewed.

* * *

"If you've hurt Alex –"

"Oh, I haven't done anything to Ms Beehan." Ruth Lees's image reappeared on the video screen. "I think she's been hurt quite enough in her life already. But then, _you'd_ know more about that than I do."

Taking a deep breath, Shego forced down the surge of anger from the implied accusation. Lees was trying to rile her up and get her off balance, and she refused to give the other woman either the satisfaction, or the advantage, that would bring. Quite deliberately, she shifted into a casual stance, left hand resting on her outthrust hip, right hand curled over as she inspected the claws of her glove.

"What I was _going_ to say ..." she drawled, giving the screen a dismissive glance, "... is that if you've hurt Alex, you've wasted your time and energy."

"Somehow, I doubt you're as disinterested as you claim." Lees clearly didn't believe the bluff. "Nonetheless, nothing has yet happened to Ms Beehan. Unfortunately ..." she gave a vindictive smile, "... it has come to my attention that the monies which provide for the medical care she receives are the fruits of illegal activities. Accordingly, I can – and _will_ – order those accounts frozen. Since Ms Beehan has no insurance or other source of financial support, she'll have to be moved to a free clinic. I'm _sure_ they'll do their best for her, but they just don't have the _resources_ of a top private facility, do they?"

"I've never killed anyone, before." Shego folded her arms and stared up at Lees. Nonchalance wasn't working. Perhaps threats would. She locked eyes with the woman on the screen, her voice staying slow and deliberate. "I figured I wasn't the type. But maybe I just never had the right motivation."

"... 'the right motivation', you say?" Lees's voice was steady, but the slight pause – and even slighter widening of her eyes – before she spoke, told Shego that her words had penetrated the other woman's armor. "What motivation would that be? Hate for me? Or love for her?"

Shego growled softly, but for once it was not at the insinuation she and Alex had been more than friends. Right now, _why_ she felt the need to protect Alex was far less important than that she _did_ feel the need. "You're talking about giving Alex what amounts to a death sentence, Lees." With difficulty, the green woman kept her own tone clipped and cold. "So let's not waste time with silly little games. Just make your offer."

"Straight down to business? I can appreciate that." Lees sounded smug. As well she could, given that she held all the cards. "It's simple enough, really. I'm willing to give you a written guarantee that Global Justice will fund Ms Beehan's treatment for the rest of her life. In exchange, you give me Kim Possible."

"Not gonna happen." Even Shego was surprised by the immediacy of her response, and by the finality of her tone. The green woman paused, wondering for a moment where that instant certainty had come from, but then put the question aside. It was true. That was all that mattered, right now.

Lees raised an eyebrow, a slight stiffness in the expression suggesting it was something she'd consciously practiced. "Interesting. I take it that your relationship with Possible is deeper than a mere alliance of convenience."

"You can take it however you like." Shego snarled. "Better yet, take a running jump off a very high cliff. The bottom line is, I won't betray one friend to save another."

Lees gave a shrug of her own. "A pity. But then, the psychology people did think there was a less than a ten percent chance you'd take that deal." She paused, as if considering her options. "Perhaps you'd like to make a counter-offer?"

"Sure." Shego snorted, knowing this was just more games. "You give up now, and I'll promise just to hurt you, rather than kill you."

The answering smile she got was wintry and disdainful. "Oddly enough, I find that as unappealing as you seem to find the idea of betraying Ms Possible." Lees's tone made it obvious she thought there was more to Shego's reluctance than just friendship. The pale woman, to her own mild surprise, didn't care what Lees might think.

"Then I suggest you stop wasting both our times, and make the offer you figure I'll take." Shego snapped, no longer bothering to conceal her irritation. "Because otherwise, I'm going to see how much damage I can do before one of your goons gets lucky."

Lees sighed. "Very well, I shall lay my cards on the table. You will surrender, without resistance and without any additional conditions. In return, Global Justice will ensure that Ms Beehan receives the best medical treatment available, for as long as she might live."

"You'll put that in writing?"

"Of course."

Shego paused for only an instant, then she nodded, and held out her hands, wrists pressed together.

"Deal."

* * *

"I must admit, I am surprised."

Shego cracked open one eye. Ruth Lees stood outside the electrified bars of the cell the green woman now occupied. Global Justice agents had snapped security cuffs on her wrists and ankles, injected her with something – 'Dimmer', most likely, since she couldn't even raise a spark of plasma – and then half-marched, half-carried her to the small room, leaving her lying alone on the bed.

"Lees." The pale woman levered herself to a seated position. "I'd get up, but ..." she used her bound hands to gesture at her manacled feet.

Lees didn't answer, simply watching her for a moment, so Shego took the time to return the appraisal. The current head of GJ operations was about five years younger than Doctor Director, though her iron-gray hair made her seem more of an age with the one-eyed woman. She seemed shorter than the former supervillain remembered from her youth – but Shego had added a few inches of her own, since then – with a build that looked diet-thin, rather than exercise-trim.

The green woman shrugged. "Surprised about what?" She asked, when it seemed that Lees was in no hurry to speak again.

"That you surrendered so quickly." The older woman replied. "I thought you'd have more faith in your ability to fight your way out."

Shego snorted. "I _could_ have fought my way out." Maybe.

"So why didn't you?" The question was a clear challenge.

The green woman paused. She didn't owe Lees an explanation. In fact, the only thing she felt she owed the other woman was a healthy dose of plasma. But the disbelieving sneer in her enemy's tone was more than the former supervillain could resist.

"Back when we were kids, I betrayed Alex's trust. I'll never be able to make up for that." She said quietly, closing her eyes for a moment at the memory, rising unbidden, of how Alex's body had looked after her suicide attempt. "But at least _then_ I had the excuse that I was young and scared. I'm all grown up now, and I'm not afraid of you, or your Veligruan friends. If I'd fought my way out, I'd have saved myself, but condemned Alex. I couldn't betray her like that. Not again."

"But you _could_ betray her to protect Kim Possible."

Shego sat very still for a moment, acknowledging to herself the truth of that statement. If it came down to a straight choice: protect Alex, or protect Kimmie, then Pumpkin would win. The green woman would hate to have to make that choice, but she would.

Not that she planned to admit that to Lees. Or to Princess, for that matter.

"That wasn't a comparable choice." She shrugged, doing her best to look casual. "I knew you'd have a fallback position, if I rejected that offer. Which meant I could protect Alex without betraying Kimmie to you and Harker."

"Speaking of the good General ..." Lees cocked her head to one side, her pale blue eyes studying Shego's reaction. "... his government has lodged a formal request that you be released to their custody."

Shego smiled, baring her teeth. "Better hope their security is better than I remember, or I'll be out within minutes."

A frown briefly flickered across Lees's face. Clearly she'd expected her comment to have more impact. "I'm sure we can assist them in that. A supply of 'Dimmer', and some Global Justice restraints ought to be enough to keep you quiet."

"Quiet? Only if it includes a gag."

"Very droll." Lees acknowledged. "I wonder if you'll still be laughing when they take you to the gallows?"

"I'll be laughing when they take _you_." Shego smirked, knowing that Lees would treat it as empty bravado. Which it probably was. However this ended, Shego doubted Lees was risking execution. That just wasn't Kim and Doctor Director's style. She changed the subject. "Why are you doing this? I mean ... okay, _I'm_ a thief, and it's your job to catch me ... but what's with the vendetta against Betty and Princess? They're two of the good guys."

"_Right._ 'The good guys'." Lees curled her lip into a sneer. "Never mind that they both swore an oath and then betrayed it."

"It's that what this is about?" Shego laughed. "That they didn't follow your orders, like good little minions? Just because they chose justice over obedience –"

"Justice?" Lees's voice had grown more harsh, icy fury lacing every word. "Who are _they_ to decide what is _just?_ Were they elected by the people? Are they official representatives of a legal government? Do they have anylegitimate authority? Or are you proposing that we simply let _anyone_ decide what is just and unjust, and take the law into their own hands? That we throw due process to the wolves? Hand our destiny into the hands of whomever claims to know best?"

"Isn't that what we do every four years?" Shego countered. "Isn't that how you got into power in Go City? By telling everyone you knew best?"

"_I_ followed the proper channels." Lees snapped. "_I_ worked as a part of the system that supports and maintains our society. _I_ didn't go off on some kind of glory-hunting, vigilante crusade, because I thought I could do it better than the police." The older woman paused, a look of pain flickering across her face.

"... we're not talking about Kimmie any more, are we?" Shego said quietly, allowing the hostility to seep out of her tone. "I'm sorry about what happened to your parents –"

"I don't need or want _your_ sympathy!"

"- and from everything I've heard, that 'Lightbringer' character was an ass." Shego shrugged. "But if you really think Princess is like him, you're delusional."

"Whatever her motives, her _methods_ are unacceptable."

"_Her_ methods?" Shego raised her eyebrow, the gesture much more natural than when Lees had done it. "As compared to, say, threatening the life of a bed-ridden invalid?"

"Ms Beehan's life was never in danger." Lees retorted. "Whatever your relationship might have been when you were teenagers, it was obvious you cared about her a great deal. Certainly more than any of the men you've been seen with, since then." She smiled at Shego's startled look. "Oh, you can be sure we interviewed several of your ... companions ... to see if they could be used as leverage. Ms Beehan was clearly the better choice."

"But you couldn't _know_ how I would react." Shego shook her head. "You put an innocent in danger. Betty would never have –"

"Bah!" Lees gave a scornful sneer. "If Elizabeth Director had had the courage to do what I did, you would have been incarcerated _fifteen_ _years_ ago. The world would have been a better place for it. But instead she spent her time quibbling over ephemeral concepts like 'justice', rather than enforcing the law. And it's the _law_ that's important."

"Really?" Shego asked, quietly. "Weren't you and I and Kim and Betty all born in a country that was founded on the principle that what was _just_ was more important than what was _legal_?"

For a moment, the question almost seemed to have made an impression, but then Lees's eyes narrowed. "That was a different time."

The green woman glanced around her cell. "Doesn't look much different to me."

* * *

Shego twisted and pushed her arm forward as best she could, letting the heavy metal manacles take the brunt of the fall as she crashed to the bottom of the stairs.

Not that 'fall' was really the right word. 'Throw' would be more accurate, courtesy of the two burly Veligruan guards in whose custody she'd been placed. They now stomped down the stairs behind her, then pulled her to her feet, not caring much where they put their hands. From their tones as they talked, it was probably just as well she didn't speak Spanish.

Global Justice had transferred her to Veligruan custody after only a few hours: probably as quickly as the paperwork could be completed. The exchange didn't surprise the green woman. GJ had strict regulations about the permissible treatment of prisoners. The Veligruan Security Forces, she was sure, had no such limitations. Lees knew that, and doubtless hoped Shego would break under interrogation. Shego was determined to disappoint her.

The two men dragged her along the concrete corridor, grunting with the effort. Even if Shego had tried to walk under her own power – and she saw no reason to help them out – she was tightly manacled, and dosed with something that made her dizzy and nauseous. Instead she hung like a dead weight between them, taking a glimmer of pleasure from every muffled curse. She might not speak Spanish, but she knew what 'mierda' meant.

Finally, the pair dragged her into a room. It had been recently white-washed, the pungent aroma of antiseptic and fresh paint not entirely disguising the older, more rancid odors of sweat and blood. A metal frame, somewhere between a bed and a chair, stood in the center of the chamber. One of the two guards wrestled her into it, while the other pulled down a lever that was set into the wall. The frame began to emit a soft _hum_, and Shego felt the iron-and-titanium collars around her ankles and neck adhere to it with powerful magnetic force. Her arms, held in front of her, were free for a few seconds longer, before the two men unlocked the chain that bound them, and forced her wrists against the frame as well.

Twisting her head as best she could, the green woman took in as much of the room as possible. It was small: the lever which controlled the frame's electro-magnets was only about fifteen feet from her, though it may as well have been fifteen miles, given how tightly she was held. One wall was given over to what looked like medical equipment and computers. Probably, she mused as the two men began attaching sensors to her body, intended to monitor her physical condition and responses to the interrogation. On the other side of the room were various stainless steel implements: blades and pliers and similar tools.

The two men finished with their responsibilities, and moved out of the room, closing the door behind them and leaving her alone, with nothing to do but stare at the implements that would soon be tearing at her flesh. It was a standard interrogation technique: give the subject time to sweat a little, imagining what was going to be done to them. It was intended to make them more susceptible when the torture actually began. Shego knew that.

But knowing it didn't make the technique any less effective.

* * *

Shego wasn't sure how much later it was when the door swung open. More than a few minutes; perhaps as much as an hour.

Lynn Andretti, her bleached white hair now highlighted with a fringe of cobalt blue, stepped into the room. She gave the green woman a smirk, then kicked the door closed again with her heel, and swaggered across the room.

"I see you got your jackboots already." Shego looked the other woman up and down. Lynn was wearing the uniform of a Veligruan officer; black leather boots, black pants with red piping, and a blue jacket.

"Bad guys get the best outfits." Lynn's response came with a sneer, though the effect was somewhat undercut by a certain indistinctness in the pronunciation.

"Jaw still healing?" Shego quirked an eyebrow upward and put on an expression of mock concern. "Well, don't feel like you need to make conversation just for me. I doubt I'd have much interest in anything you have to say, anyway."

"I wish I could say the same." Lynn gave her a cold smile, then turned and began to sort through the tools on the counter; picking up, and then putting down; several different scalpels and saws. "Then we could just kill your fer-eaky green ass and be done with you. But the General wants to hear everything you know, first."

"Oh, is it torture time already?" The pale woman kept her voice as casual as possible, despite the racing of her heart.

"Ah, bravado." Lynn put down yet another scalpel and instead turned to the medical equipment. "You have _no idea_ how little I've missed your 'tough talk' bullshit, do you?" She waved a hand at one of the screens, where a thin green line leapt up and down erratically. "I'm not fooled. Your heart rate's through the roof, Shego."

"What can I say? I've always been more into pleasure than pain."

"Well, you can relax for now." Lynn opened a cabinet and removed a strange, metal device, reminiscent of a metal-and-plastic helmet. "As satisfying as it would be make you scream, torture is unreliable. Too much chance you'll just tell us whatever you think will make the pain stop, rather than the truth. _This_ little beauty ..." She tapped the device in her hands. "... will make you more than happy to answer any questions I ask."

"I think I'll pass on the fashion accessory. Helmet hair's not my thing." Somehow, Shego managed to keep even the faintest tremor from her voice.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll look just fine." Lynn smirked, stepping closer and lifting the device above the green woman's head. "And it should feel familiar ... from what I hear, it's based on the same technology Drakken used on you, once."

Shego spat straight in her face.

"Shit!" The white-haired woman reeled back, exclaiming in disgust, as the thick and slightly mucus-y saliva rolled down her cheek. "You'll pay for that, you bitch!" She pulled back a fist, then paused and began to lower it. "There'll be time for that later."

"Don't make me laugh. You just don't have the _guts_ to hit me." It was an accusation calculated to provoke a physical reaction, and Shego got it. Lynn's fist slammed into the side of her face, striking the sensitive flesh just above her cheek-bone. She'd have a monster of a black eye in a few minutes, she knew. Shaking her head as best she could to clear it, the green woman shot Lynn her best smirk.

"That all you got, you second-rate excuse for a sidekick?" The former supervillain curled her lip, deliberately goading her former associate. "I can't believe I actually _paid_ you for your so-called help –"

A fist crashed into her solar plexus; then a second into her mouth. She tasted the coppery tang of blood from her lip. Another blow to the body, and Shego allowed herself a grunt of pain.

"How about that, you green freak? Not talking so _tough_ now, are you?" Lynn grabbed her by the hair and snarled into Shego's face. Spittle flew from the white-haired woman's lips as she ranted.

"Screw you." Shego gritted out, trying to ignore the burning pain of her lip. "You're still a pussy."

The blows resumed, Lynn now shrieking abuse with every swing of her fists. The green woman, sagging in her bonds, didn't bother to suppress her grunts and groans of pain. They seemed to drive Lynn on, and that was _exactly_ what she wanted.

Shego didn't like pain, but she liked the idea of wearing that helmet even less.

* * *

"Enough, please ..." Shego gasped at last, coughing huskily and then spitting out the bloody saliva that filled her mouth. The green woman let her body slump, abandoning the defiant stance she'd held for so long. She groaned as another blow smashed into her already battered body, and braced for the next ... but it didn't come.

Slowly, the pale woman lifted her head and focused on Lynn. Even with one eye swollen shut, the former supervillain could see that the other woman's knuckles were split and bleeding. Shego felt a savage sense of satisfaction, and had to suppress a laugh at the ridiculous feeling. Yeah, she'd really beaten the crap out of Lynn's fists with her face.

Lynn grabbed Shego by the jaw, forcing a hiss of pain from the green woman, and leaned in close. "What was that?" She demanded, a feral and triumphant expression on her face. "What did you say?"

"I ..." Shego paused, and licked her lips, "I said, 'enough, please'."

"Not so tough _now_, are you?" Lynn smugly patted the pale woman's cheek.

Shego did not reply, and Lynn snarled, grabbing her face. "I _said_ 'not so tough now, are you?'"

"No." The green woman muttered thickly, dropping her eyes. "Not so tough."

"_Look at me_." Lynn wrenched her face up, locking eyes. The dark-haired woman was startled by just how much hatred; raw, personal, unreasoning _hate_; was in the other woman's dark eyes.

"Why are you doing this?" Shego rasped. "... working for Harker, I mean?"

"I _told_ you, you stupid bitch." Lynn snorted, "Fame and fortune. Everyone in the world is going to know who I am. I'm going to be known as the woman who broke the _mighty Shego._" She sneered the words. "... and as the woman who finally beat that bitch, Kim Possible. _Everyone _will know my name_._"

"Jesus." Shego shook her head, then winced, a sudden burst of pain telling her it wasn't a good idea. "This is all just a personal power trip for you, isn't it? I thought Lees was messed up, but at least she believes she's making the world a better place. _You_ ... you just don't give a shit about anyone else, do you?"

"Hell, no." Lynn laughed. "And why should I? Most people are stupid, boring sheep. Just like _you_."

"Huh?" Shego blinked, confused by the accusation.

"That's the really sad thing about this." Lynn gestured at the room with her battered hands. "_You _could have been the one standing in my shoes, with Possible locked in that frame. You used to _be_ someone, Shego. I _looked up_ to you, once. You were the toughest woman on the planet. You took _what_ you wanted, _when_ you wanted, from _who_ you wanted, and you never took shit from anyone. _Now_ look at you ... a sniveling lap dog for the very idiots that used to chase you."

"Idiots?" Shego laughed harshly, then broke into coughing as a stab of pain flared up from her ribs. "If that's what you really think of Kim and Betty, then _you're_ the idiot."

_Smack_. The flat of Lynn's hand cracked into Shego's cheek, snapping the green woman's head to the side.

"If your precious Kim Possible is so _wonderful_, then how come you're here?" Lynn sneered, mockingly. "Why did she run from GJ's trap rather than help you? Why has she just left you to rot here, while she stays safe and hidden? Well, Shego?" The slightly-built woman stepped in close, almost butting her head into Shego's. Spittle from her rant spattered over the green woman's cheek. "If Kim Possible is so fabulous, then _where the hell is she?_"

_**BOOM.**_

The answer came not from Shego, but from above: a bone-rattling detonation that sent tools skittering off the benches and set the chamber's lights to flickering.

The green woman raised her head, trademark smirk in place, and unbroken defiance – the defiance she'd pretended to lose, to keep Lynn distracted – once more blazing openly in her eyes.

"Sounds to me like she just arrived."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sure, it's another somewhat cliffhanger-y ending, but at least it's an upbeat one, right? :-)

This was an interesting chapter to write. For one thing, it contained a 'sort of' torture scene, which is a type of scene in which I have very little interest as a reader, so I needed to find a way to make it 'work' for me as a writer. For another - more important - thing: it was the first (probably only) time that Ruth Lees was going to get a chance to explain her position. Not that I expect anyone to have read this chapter and said 'I guess she's not so bad after all' ... Lees has done some morally repugnant things! But I did want to give her a little more depth than just 'being evil' (I have Lynn for that: after all, she threatened to kill Brick because Kim exposed her TV show as a fraud!). So yeah, hopefully you got a bit of an insight into why Lees has gone to such lengths.


	28. Old Tricks

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0046

**Name:** Joshua Mankey

**Known Aliases:** Josh Mankey, Twenty-First Century Warhol

**Relation to Suspect:** Former boyfriend, former schoolmate

**Location:** West Hollywood, California.

**Biography:** After a modestly successful career as a photographic artist, the subject rose to prominence for writing and directing several low-budget films. These works achieved critical success for their dense structure and many-layered levels of meaning, and commercial success for their pervasive sex and violence. Subject has since taken up residence in California, along with a large and ever-shifting entourage.

**Interrogation: **Subject claimed no knowledge of suspect's current location, but expressed admiration for the suspect's "willingness to eschew the cultural paradigm and pursue her own vision, man".

**Surveillance:** Global Justice agent infiltrated subject's entourage and conducted full-time surveillance undertaken for one month. Subject was observed to partake of hallucinogenic substances and unsafe sexual practices, but there was no sign of contact with the suspect.

**Recommendation:** Minimal risk of contact with suspect. Reduce surveillance to electronic only.

* * *

"That's impossible!" Lynn snarled, grabbing onto the bench as another explosion shook the room.

Shego laughed. "Haven't you heard? Nothing is impossible for a Possible."

"Shut up!" The white-haired woman snapped, raking her hand through her spiky locks. "She can't be here! No-one knows where this place is! Not even Global Justice! How could she find it?"

The green woman's smirk grew wider.

"Ever heard of the Trojan Horse?"

* * *

"I have a degree in child development. Of _course_ I've heard of the Trojan Horse." Shego gave Betty a scowl that mixed mild irritation and major boredom. "Why?"

"You could be ours."

"Riiiight." The green woman drawled, then gestured to herself. "In case you haven't noticed, Bets ... I'm not wooden, and I look a damn sight better than any horse ever did."

"Hmmm." Looking unconvinced, Kim leaned across the table and gently rapped her knuckles on the side of Shego's head.

"Hey!"

"What do you know?" The redhead feigned surprise. "Not wood, after all."

"Screw you, Pumpkin."

"I thought you didn't swing that way?"

"_Ladies_." Doctor Director interrupted the incipient argument. "If we could focus on the mission briefing for just a few more minutes?"

"A few?" Shego snorted her doubt.

"If I wasn't interrupted so often, this would be over more quickly." The one-eyed woman pointed out with calm reason ... and just the faintest hint of smugness.

"Fine. Go on." Shego waved for the older woman to explain. "How am I going to be the Trojan Horse? As opposed to a horse's ass, like some people around here." She shot a glance at Kim, who stuck out her tongue in response.

"With this." Betty laid a small, round object on the table. Apart from its bright red color, it looked rather like an antacid tablet. Shego picked it up and stared at it more closely. It still looked like an antacid.

"What is it?"

"It's actually three things." Betty explained, bringing up a cross-sectional image on the Go Jet's screen. "At the center is a microscopic transmitter, constructed entirely of advanced synthetic polymers. It's undetectable to x-rays. It's one of the things I had you steal from Global Justice, along with the bomb."

A concerned expression flickered across Kim's face, her good humor quickly fading. The redhead had never been comfortable with Betty's plan for the bomb. Neither was Shego, when you got right down to brass tacks ... but you couldn't make an omelette without strange bedfellows, or somesuch mixed metaphor.

If Doctor Director noticed the other two women's concerned expressions, she didn't comment upon them. Instead, she continued her explanation. "Surrounding the transmitter is an alkaline compound. The reaction between this compound and stomach acid activates the transmitter, which is currently inert."

"You want me to _swallow_ this?"

"That's why it looks like a tablet." Betty raised her visible eyebrow. "The outer shell is a simple edible plastic. It will protect the alkaline compound for approximately two hours, at which point it will be sufficiently dissolved for your stomach acid to reach the compound and activate the transmitter. But – and I want to stress this – you should _only_ swallow the tablet as a last resort."

"And here I was just going to fetch a glass of water." Shego rolled her eyes. "So ... what constitutes a 'last resort', here?"

"If you're about to be captured."

"Pfeh." The green woman waved off the suggestion. "Like _that_ will happen."

"I'm serious, Shego." Betty kept her tone calm, but there was no doubting how serious she was. "We can't underestimate Lees and her people. If this _is_ a trap – and we all know that's a strong possibility – then it'll be a well-planned one. That's why you're the only one going into the actual base."

"What?" Kim looked up sharply. "I'm not letting Shego go in there alone!"

"If you want to give her the best chance to come out again, you have to." Betty held up a hand to forestall another objection. "If you're both inside, they can seal off the exits and trap you both. One of you needs to stay outside to create a distraction, run interference against any Global Justice reinforcements, and prevent any attempt to seal the base."

"Okay." Kim folded her arms and looked obstinate. "Then I'll go into the base, and Shego can run interference for me."

Doctor Director shook her head. "You have to stay outside, Kimberley."

"It was my decision to come to Veligrua. I dragged Shego into this. I should be the one taking the biggest risk!" Kim insisted. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't be the one going in!"

It was Shego who answered first. "Because I'm more expendable than you."

Kim gasped, skin turning pale under her tan.

"You are _not_!" she snapped. "None of us are expendable!"

"No, none of us _are_." Betty shot Shego a glance that very clearly said

'Let me handle this'. The green woman shrugged and gestured for her to proceed. "It's not about who is expendable. It's about skill sets. And Shego doesn't have the right skill set to sabotage the Global Justice earthmoving equipment."

"I beg to differ." Plasma falred briefly.

"I don't want them _destroyed_." Betty explained. "Like I said, if this isn't a trap, I want you to get in and out unnoticed. I want those machines reprogrammed. Kim, you're the one who has to do that, because you're the most familiar with Global Justice software."

"Reprogrammed to do what?" Kim frowned.

"I'll go through the details shortly." Doctor Director assured the redhead. "For now, please just accept that I need you to stay outside the base. You can help Shego better by being there, than being beside her."

"Fine." The former cheerleader sighed and slumped back into her chair. Despite her words, the redhead didn't look reconciled to her instructions, and she nibbled nervously on her bottom lip as she watched Betty turn her attention back to Shego.

"Having Kim outside to draw attention away from you is one of the two ways I'm countering the risk that this is a trap." The older woman paused and sighed, then shook her head, looking momentarily tired. Then she straightened her, lifted her head, and fixed her single-eyed gaze on the green woman. "That transmitter is the second. Please understand, I want you to take every measure to avoid capture that you can. Your life will be in serious danger if you end up in Lees's custody ... or worse yet, Harker's."

Shego gave a flippant shrug of her shoulders. "Yeah. I figured that out for myself."

Betty sighed. "I mean it, Shego. The transmitter _should_ slip through any bug sweeps, since it won't be active, and it _should_ pass unnoticed in an x-ray, and it uses an ultra-low frequency signal that _should_ penetrate any jamming measures they set up, and once we know where you are, we _should_ be able to get to you ... but that's an awful lot of 'shoulds' to risk your life on."

"Don't worry: I understand the risks." The green woman said, more seriously. "I'll get my ass outta there the second anything looks dodgy."

"You'd better." Kim muttered, giving her a fierce look. "Because if you don't, I will kick your butt myself, after we rescue you."

Shego chuckled. "It's a deal, Pumpkin."

The redhead nodded, apparently, satisfied with the green woman's assurance. Then she dropped her eyes, sighed, and flicked her gaze back to Doctor Director. "There's more to it, isn't there?"

"The plan? Of course."

"I meant the transmitter." Kim spoke softly, glancing at the small red tablet in Shego's palm. "I agree it's a necessary failsafe, but –"

"But you said it would make into a Trojan Horse." Shego closed her hand around the transmitter, then slipped it into her pocket. "And _that_ wasn't just a failsafe, it was a way to end a war. And I'm guessing you think the transmitter could be used to do the same thing, here."

"It ... could be." Betty sighed and massaged her forehead. "But look ... before I say any more, I want to make something very, very clear: I considered all the options very carefully when I came up with the plan I've outlined. Ultimately, I feel that my primary responsibility is to make sure that the two of you come back safely. The transmitter... if things went _exactly_ right, it _might_ be the 'magic bullet' we need to put an end to Harker's regime -"

"Then we should use it!" Kim leaned forward excitedly.

"Si!" Rojo agreed, apparently recovering from his sugar-induced coma.

"- but the risks are too great, and the chances of that degree of success too small." Betty insisted, her tone gentle but calm. The older woman sighed, a look of fatigue once more crossing her face. "Trust me, I spent the last forty-eight hours trying to find a way to make this option come together in a way I could feel comfortable proposing to you both. It just didn't happen."

Shego and Kim exchanged a glance.

"Tell us anyway." The green woman spoke for them both. "It can't hurt to have all the facts."

Betty was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay. The first thing you'd have to do, is allow yourself to be captured ..."

* * *

"Horse? What the hell are –" the rest of Lynn's response was drowned out by the loudest explosion yet, an almost physical onslaught of noise. The room's lights failed completely for a few seconds, plunging them into a brief moment of darkness before a reserve generator kicked on somewhere and some level of illumination – perhaps one-quarter as strong as before – was restored.

"Damn it." Lynn had been knocked from her feet by the latest blast. She staggered upright once more, coughing at the dust the explosion had thrown up, and groped for the pistol at her belt. "So your little lezzo lover is coming to the rescue, huh? Well, 'Boss', all she's gonna find is a _corpse_!" The white-haired woman swung the pistol toward the frame.

Shego wasn't there.

"What the hell?" Lynn blinked, as if trying to clear her eyes.

"The electro-magnets failed when the power went out." A soft voice purred in her ear.

"Shit!" Lynn whirled, swinging the gun in the direction of the voice.

The former televison presenter yelped in pain as fingers clamped like iron bands around her wrist.

"Uh uh, Lynn." Shego leaned in close, locking her bright green eyes with the other woman's wide and frightened gaze. "You already shot me once this year. That was quite enough." The pale woman _squeezed_, forcing a keening wail from her betrayer as the fine bones in Lynn's wrist ground painfully against each other. The white-haired woman's fingers spasmed, the gun dropping from her nerveless grip feel.

Eyes streaming with tears of pain, the one-time television star swung her free hand in a clumsy punch. Almost casually, Shego caught the blow, and now both of Lynn's wrists were in agonizing pain. She sagged, her knees weakening.

"Help!" The word burst from Lynn's mouth, screamed with instincts so basic that the sound seemed to have been torn from her throat. There were guards outside the room. They could help her. "Help me!"

There was a moment of stillness, the quiet twilight of the room marred only by the gasping, sobbing breaths the white-haired woman sucked into her lungs. Shego tilted her head, listening for the sounds of onrushing Veligruan reinforcements. There were none.

"I guess they're all otherwise occupied." Shego smiled, her eyes glinting with predatory instinct. Lynn quailed, sobbing, then wrenched feebly at the iron grip which held her. She might as well have tried to move the Go Jet. Despite the drugs coursing through her veins, and the beating she'd suffered, Shego was far stronger than the slender woman who had betrayed her.

"Please ..." The near-hysterical Lynn began to beg, her voice cracking with fear. "Please don't kill me, Shego! I didn't mean –"

"Didn't mean _what_?" The green woman chuckled, though there was no warmth or humor in the sound. "Didn't mean to betray me? Didn't mean to shoot me? Didn't mean to beat me while I was helpless?"

"Please ..." Lynn whimpered again, soiling herself as her terror overwhelmed the last vestige of her self-control. "Please don't kill me."

For a moment, Shego didn't move, or speak. She simply stood, listening to the pounding of her heart and to the low, vicious muttering from the dark corners of her mind. It would be laughably easy to kill Lynn now. Even drugged and battered as she had been, Shego was stronger, faster and better trained ... and that wasn't even factoring in the fact that the other woman seemed almost catatonic with fear.

Oh yes, she could kill Lynn. It wouldn't even be traceable. A single blow, to the neck or the temple. 'One of the explosions knocked her flying. She hit her head. There was nothing I could do.' No-one would ever know.

Except her.

* * *

"I want to swap." Kim stated as she stepped into the Go Jet's galley.

Shego glanced down at the soda in her hand raised an eyebrow. "No thanks. It's the last can we've got."

"I'm not talking about the drink, and you know it." Kim closed the door behind her, then leaned against it and folded her arms. "The mission. I want to be the one who goes into the base."

"Nope." Shego took a mouthful of soda, and savored the look of mixed outrage and confusion on the redhead's face.

"I started this whole thing, so I should take the more risky part of the mission."

"Sounds reasonable ... or it would, if I wanted to see you dead." Shego set down the can and folded her own arms, calmly matching the younger woman's angry glare. "Because we both know that if you go into the base, you'll let yourself get caught."

"What? No, I wouldn't."

"Yeah. You would."

Kim glared. Shego stared mildly back, then quite deliberately uncrossed her arms and took a sip of her drink, and put the can back down.

"Damn it, Shego!" The redhead sighed and threw her hands in the air. "You know it makes sense. It's like in chess, when you sacrifice a piece to get a tactical advantage."

"Chess was never my game." Shego admitted. "But I seem to remember that there's one piece you _can't_ afford to sacrifice. And you're ours."

Kim blinked. "That's ridiculous. First, you guys would come for me. Second, even if something _did _happen to me before you got there, you and Betty -"

"Are _not_ the ángel azul." Shego interrupted.

"Oh god, I wish I'd never heard that name." Kim sighed. "Besides, you could just as easily become the 'green angel'!"

The dark-haired woman shook her head. "Fluffy white wings would look terrible with my complexion." She stepped forward, rested her hands on the shorter woman's shoulders, and squeezed gently. "_You_ are the hero the Veligruans have come to believe in. If we lose you, it'll set back the resistance for years."

Kim sniffed and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm just so tired of feeling like I'm not _helping_." She whispered fiercely. "We fight and we fight but we never seem to make things better."

"You've stopped them from getting worse." Shego said firmly. "That's gotta count for something."

"Maybe." Kim allowed, her voice thickened by her frustration. "But this ... this could _change_ things, Shego."

"_Maybe_." The green woman consciously echoed the redhead's words. "_If_ Harker doesn't kill you out of hand -"

Kim shook her head. "He wouldn't. He'd want to interrogate me, first. Learn more about the resistance."

"- and _if _Betty's theory about this secret Veligruan base is right." Shego ignored the interruption. "And _if_ they take you there. And _if_ the transmitter works. And _if_ we can dupe GJ into turning up. And _if_ they find the bomb. And _if_ Betty knows the rank-and-file as well as she thinks she does. _Then_ ... and _only_ then ... it might change things. That's not a good gamble."

"We saved the world on a bigger gamble than that." The redhead insisted.

"Yeah. But only because Stoppable pulled glowing blue superpowers out of his ass at the last minute." Shego observed. "That's not going to happen this time."

"So ... we just give up?" Kim wiped at her eyes again.

"No. Of course not." Shego could hear the startlement in her own voice. "No one is suggesting that."

"Sorry." The younger woman shook her head. "I know they aren't. I just ... I just get so frustrated that we can't do _more_. I had all these grand hopes of helping the Veligruans, and all I've accomplished so far is to get GJ out for your blood -"

"Yeah, because they never chased me before."

"- and cost Doctor Director her job."

"Oh please." Shego laughed. "Have you _looked_ at the old battle axe?"

"Yes! She's exhausted!"

"And loving it." The green woman said firmly. "Can you imagine what it must have been like for Betty at GJ the last few years? With Lees muscling in and taking over? Seeing everything she's worked for get a little more twisted every month? You may have cost her her job, but you gave her back her _life_."

Kim gave a wry grin. "Okay. Fine. Betty does seem happier now than she did in the last few months I was working for GJ."

"Damn right she is."

"What about you?"

The question took the green woman by surprise. "What about me?" She stalled for time.

"Are you happier now?" It seemed the former teen hero wasn't about to let the subject go. "You were ... well, you were the world's number one thief, which wasn't something I ever wanted to be, but –"

"Wait." Shego released Kim's shoulders and held up a hand. "You're asking me if I'm happier now, as part of some lunatic three-woman and one-rodent quest to save the world from itself, than I was as one of the wealthiest, most successful criminal masterminds the world has ever seen?"

"Uh ..." Kim blushed and looked down. "I guess it does sound kinda stupid when you put it like that."

"I'll say." Shego snorted and folded her arms. "Of _course_ I'm happier now."

Kim's expression was everything she'd hoped.

"Close your mouth, Princess. You'll let in flies."

"But –"

"Look, it's simple." Shego leaned back against the galley counter and spread her hands. "I like excitement. Challenge. That's why I stuck with Drakken for so long. The guy was never going to conquer the world, but life was never boring ... well, except when Dr D wouldn't shut up. It was fun to poke holes in his plans, and to break into places to steal cool stuff. Then you came on the scene, and things got even more interesting."

"Gee." Kim gave her a sardonic look. "I'm glad you found me so entertaining."

"Interesting, Cupcake. That's better than just entertaining. Anyway, like I was saying ... I like excitement and challenge. And being a criminal mastermind? It had got pretty dull. That was the main reason I let Betty talk me into chasing you ... well, that and I liked the idea of another chance to kick your ass."

"You really do know how to make a girl feel special, don't you, Shego?" Kim laughed. She paused, then continued in a half-challenging, half-playful tone. "So that's your only reason for sticking with us? Boredom? Not some hidden strand of altruism, concealed in the depths of your DNA?"

"I have no depths." Shego declared piously. "DNA or otherwise. I pride myself on being a very shallow person, easily amused by bright, shiny baubles and loud explosions."

"Uh huh." Kim plainly didn't believe her. "So I can feel sure you aren't going to do anything ... heroic ... during the mission, right?"

Shego narrowed her eyes. She suspected this was where the conversation had been headed, ever since she refused to swap roles with the redhead. Kimmie was checking up on her. Fortunately, the green woman had nothing to hide. She had no intention of allowing herself to be captured. Hell, she couldn't even _imagine_ a circumstance where she'd do that.

"Trust me, Pumpkin. I have _no_ intention of letting myself get caught. I have my reputation to think of, after all."

The former teen hero stared thoughtfully at her for a few seconds, then nodded. "Good. You and Doctor Director are right ... it's too risky." Shego had to admire the younger woman's blithe ability to make that declaration, now that her attempt to be the one throwing herself in harm's way had been thwarted. "You already gave me one bad scare this week. I don't need another."

"I don't need one, either." Shego shook her head. The incident on the air field was not one she was keen to repeat. "Don't worry, Pumpkin. I have every intention of coming out of that base on schedule and intact. Lees and her flunkies haven't got what it takes to stop me."

"Just be careful, okay?" Kim sighed, reaching out with one hand to gently grip Shego's upper left arm. "Lees didn't get where she is by being stupid. She may have tricks up her sleeve that we haven't thought of."

"Tricks are fine. Plasma is better." The green woman laced with words with more confidence than she truly felt. However, the bravado did nothing to alleviate the pensive expression on the redhead's face. The former supervillain sighed and straightened her posture, then rested a hand on Kim's shoulder, looking her right in the eyes. "I'll do everything I can to come back safely, Princess."

"You'd better." Kim said sternly, then suddenly put her arms around the taller woman and gave her a fierce hug. When she spoke again, her voice was muffled by the close contact. "Because if I have to come to save you, I'm gonna kick your butt myself."

Simultaneously touched and embarrassed by the other woman's embrace, Shego summoned up a nervous chuckle. She briefly slid her own arms around Kim, giving the slender redhead a gently squeeze in return for her hug. "It's a deal, Pumpkin."

* * *

"What a fabulous idea _that_ was." The green woman grumbled to herself as she picked her way along the rubble-strewn corridor. The shockwaves of multiple explosions had cracked the cheap concrete cladding, scattering dust and debris in all directions. "Because getting my ass stomped once in a day wasn't enough, I had to tell Kimmie to do it, too."

Another explosion rocked the base, showering the area with fresh dust. Shego snarled and coughed. "Okay Betty, I'm awfully glad you had something up your sleeve, but try not to bury me before I can be rescued." Another Earthshaker shell. How many had that been? Five? Six? They'd managed to get their hands on eight. She'd really prefer not to still be underground when Betty decided to use the rest. Of course, she would have preferred not to have been captured in the first place.

A figure lurched out of the swirling dust, then crumpled soundlessly as it ran straight into Shego's fist. The green woman's spirits lifted immediately. They rose still further when she caught a glimmer of light through the haze. Seven swift strides brought her to an intersection. To the left was only more soupy, dust-filled air. To the right, however, light gleamed through the shifting clouds.

With a another snarl - this one of pleasure - the green woman raced toward the light, and the battle she knew now raged on the surface. Sure, she had no plasma powers, and was functioning - at best - at half her usual capability. But there was no way she was missing _this_ party.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Did Shego kill Lynn? Only time and the next few chapters will tell :-)

This makes several chapters in a row from Shego's point of view. I expect most, if not all, of the next one to be from Kim's.

And I promise, I am actually going to explain Betty's plan at some point. Though some of you might already have some pretty accurate guesses about it, by now, anyway.


	29. Dynamic Duos

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0042

**Name:** Doctor Cyrus Bortel

**Known Aliases:** None

**Relation to Suspect:** Former client, Global Justice colleague

**Location:** Global Justice's 'Pulsar' Space Station.

**Biography:** A world-renowned expert in artificial manipulation of the human brain, the subject hired the suspect on at least two occasions during the suspect's High School career. In both cases, the suspect recovered experimental technology the subject had developed. In 2012, the subject was given a Global Justice research grant to investigate the possibilities of weaponizing certain aspects of his technology for the purposes of non-lethal crowd control. The research was terminated after two years when the then-Director of Operations ruled that its potential applications breached ethical standards. However, given the risk that the subject might continue independent research, Global Justice offered the subject a senior scientific position on the 'Pulsar' space station, where the subject's activities could be monitored.

**Interrogation: **Subject exhibited no knowledge of suspect's current activities, or of her current location.

**Surveillance:** All the subject's communications with individuals outside the Pulsar Station are monitored. No evidence of contact with suspect.

**Recommendation:** Minimal risk of contact with suspect. Continue existing communications surveillance regime.

**Additional Note:** A device constructed during the subject's tenure with Global Justice was recently stolen from Global Justice storage (Case Ref UNKNOW-17-022). The identity and purpose of the the thieves is unconfirmed, but is not believed to be related to this case.

* * *

"Detrás!"

Kim spun at Rojo's sharp call of warning, dropping low as she did so. A bullet whined over her head. She exploded upward, legs uncoiling to launch her high into the air. A backflip carried over the half-destroyed wall, and then her steel-shod boots slammed into the soldier's chest, knocking him to the ground. Kim rolled forward, tagging the man with another kick as she went. He lay boneless and unconscious in her wake.

"Thanks, little man. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Usted moriría."

"Pessimist." Kim laughed off the suggestion. Still, that last soldier had come a little too close for comfort. The Earthshaker shells were living up to their name, but they were throwing a lot of dust in the air, which meant it was hard to keep track of possible threats.

On the other hand, it meant she didn't have to worry about snipers, since there was no way they'd be able to see her.

A burst of Spanish interrupted the redhead's musing. The words were barked in peremptory fashion. Since they hadn't come from Rojo, it was likely they were coming from a Veligruan officer. Kim vaulted back up onto the wall, then race along it, leapding from crumbling brick to crumbling brick. The building hadn't taken a direct hit from an Earthshaker – if it had, it wouldn't be standing at all – but it'd certainly suffered a near miss, and many of the exterior walls were half collapsed. Of course, that was what Earthshakers were all about: when they hit, they delivered a seismic shock that would register as a 5.8 on the Richter scale.

Leaping upward, the former cheerleader hooked her fingers onto a beam supporting an interior floor, then swung up into the remains of the building's second floor.

"Looks like the shell landed on this side of the building." The walls on the opposite side of the room looked largely intact, though the windows had all been blown out by the Earthshaker's concussive force. Sticking close to the walls – the floor _looked_ solid, but looks could be deceiving – Kim raced over to the nearest window and somersaulted out.

She landed in the middle of four very surprised Veligruans, who were moving forward reluctantly under a furious tirade from their officer. An officer, Kim noted, who was well to the rear.

"Sorry to drop in unannounced." The redhead slammed a spinning backfist into the first soldier, swept out the legs of the second, and then rolled between the remaining pair. Both men were still in the process of turning to face her when Kim tossed a flash-bang grenade over her shoulder. "No, don't get up, I can find my own way out."

The officer gawped for a moment, then drew his pistol and fired a hasty shot in her direction. It missed by several yards, but Kim had no desire to give him a second clear chance. She ducked behind the corner of a wall. Moments later, a brick just above her head exploded in a shower of pebbles and dust.

"He's either really lucky, or he knows how to shoot." The former hero remarked to Rojo. The mole rat's reply was impolite, but it seemed he was no more eager than her to find out which.

The redhead paused, calculating her options. As she did so, there was a brief sound from behind her - the scuff of a boot on stone. It sounded close; dangerously so. Immediately, Kim whirled, fists raised.

"Woah there, pumpkin. "

"Shego!" The former hero hissed. "I don't know whether to hug you or hit you."

"Can you decide later? I'm feeling a bit too tender for either, right now." The green-skinned woman leaned against the wall. She certainly looked like she'd been through a lot: her upper lip was split, and bleeding slowly, and the side of her face was darkly bruised.

"You do look like crap." Kim acknowledged.

"You should see the other guy." Shego quirked her lip, then immediately wished she hadn't. "What's the sitch?"

Kim smirked at hearing her own expression from her one-time nemesis.

"One shooter. Just a pistol, but he's either lucky or good."

"I knew _that._" Shego said dismissively. "I meant with the mission as a whole."

"Situation normal: I'm saving your ass, again."

"It's definitely an ass worth saving." Shego patted her own rump.

"I've seen better." Ignoring the green woman's sputter of outrage, the redhead produced a comm-piece from a pouch at her belt. "Here. I'll let Betty fill you in on how things are going."

"Hey, Bets. Miss me?" Shego activated the communicator as soon as it was settled on her ear.

"Shego. Good to know you're safe."

"Now _that_ is something I never expected to hear."

"It's something I never expected to _say_." The one-eyed woman's response was dry.

"Listen, Bets." For once, Shego had more urgent things on her mind than banter. "Lees had Alex."

"Ms Beehan?"

"Yeah. That's how she caught me. Threatened to cut off Alex's treatment." Shego did her best to ignore the wide-eyed stare she was getting from Kim. "Look, can you -"

"I'm on it." The audio picked up the faint sound of Dr Director typing on her keyboard. "If she can be found, I'll find her. And I'll do everything possible to make her safe."

"… thank you." Shego swallowed. She still wasn't used to having other people look out for her.

"Think nothing of it. Are you two able to effect an escape?"

"So not the drama."

"Kimmie's overlooking the fact that there's a few guys with guns who seem to want us to stick around, but I'm sure we could persuade them otherwise."

"Excellent. You've got about five minutes until Global Justice get there."

Shego smiled. Finally some good news. "They took the bait?"

"They took the bait."

* * *

"This is what we need from the GJ facility." Betty placed a tablet PC in front of Kim. The former hero reached for it, but Shego lunged forward and snagged it first.

"Hey!" the redhead protested. "That was for me!"

"My timeshare lair, my table, my ... well, Best Buy's, legally ... computer. My list." Shego scanned down the items. "Nanobombs, EMP grenades. So far so normal. What's a SILT?"

"Shielded Internal Location Transmitter. It'll be in something that looks like a pill bottle."

"Earthshaker shells?" The green woman gave a soft whistle. "You know Bets, if you want to start a war, there are other options that give much better yield for their size. We could carry a lot more of those."

Doctor Director shook her head. "The Earthshakers have specific properties I require. Just bring as many as you can carry."

"Okay." Shego shrugged. "Doctor D was all about stealing stuff without telling me why, so I can work with that."

The one-eyed woman made an exasperated sound. "I _will_ explain, if you give me a chance."

"That would spoil her fun." Kim pointed out.

"I resemble that remark -" Shego began smugly, then yelped in outrage as the redhead used the distraction to snatch away the tablet PC. "Hey!"

"Finders keepers." The former hero said smugly. "Besides, there's only one thing left on the lift." Dark green eyes suddenly widened. "You want to steal a _bomb_?"

"Bets, you dark horse! You really _are_ going to start a war."

"I'm not going to start a war." Betty paused to take a sip of coffee, then glanced over the cup at Kim. "Tell me, Kimberley. What are your goals?"

The conversation then took a turn into politics and ethics. Shego mostly tuned out, paying just enough attention to make the occasional snide remark. Kim and Betty sure did like to talk. Eventually, however, it seemed like they were getting to the point.

"We aren't going to detonate it." Betty insisted.

Shego gave a pout. "... so we're going to steal a bomb in order to not use it? Where's the fun in that?"

"Sometimes, Shego, it's the unexploded bombs that are the most dangerous."

"Maybe to the bomb disposal squad." The green woman snorted.

To her surprise, Betty nodded. "That's more or less my point. Though I wasn't thinking so much of a disposal squad, as a research team."

"Who's researching the bomb?"

"No-one, yet." Betty smiled. "But the Veligruans will be."

_That_ certainly made Shego start paying attention. And from her expression, Kim was just as stunned.

"Wait ... we're stealing a bomb ... _for_ the Veligruans?" Shego glanced across at the redhead and then looked back at Dr Director. "I think I speak for both of us when I say: '_huh?_'."

"This bomb is locked away for a reason. It's classified Grade 11 technology."

"So it's in high school?"

It was Kim who answered. "GJ rate all technology according to its destructive potential. The higher the number, the higher the potential."

"I take it eleven is pretty high?"

"Well, a nuclear warhead is a six."

"OK, that's a 'yes' on it being pretty high. But I'm still not getting why giving it to Harker is a good idea."

Kim shrugged. "Neither am I. Unless ..." the redhead chewed her lip for a moment. "Items above class eight are highly restricted. Possessing one without clearance is a breach of international law."

"International law?" Shego scoffed. "When has _that_ ever mattered?"

"When has _any_ law mattered to you?" Kim jibed gently. She shook her head. "This isn't some trade agreement, Shego. This isn't even flouting the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. If Harker was found to be in possession of a Class 11 item ... an item stolen from a GJ base on US soil ..."

"The shit would hit the fan?"

Doctor Director nodded. "I think it is safe to say that a huge amount of shit would hit a very large fan."

"Betty!"

"What?" The one-eyed woman raised her eyebrow. "I _am_ aware of the word 'shit', Shego. It's probably derived from the Old English words 'scite' or 'scitte'."

Shego held up a hand. "Okay. I don't need a history lesson. So the plan is to somehow trick Harker into taking possession of the bomb, and then ... what, engineer it so that he gets found out?"

"Essentially, yes."

"How in the hell do we do _that_?"

"Well, as far as the second requirement goes ... that's what the Earthshaker shells are for. As for the first requirement ... well, I think Kimberley may be able to help us there."

* * *

"Lees threatened _Alex_?" Kim's cheeks were white with fury. "She threatened an _invalid_?"

"That's what bad guys do, Pumpkin." Shego kept her voice calm. When she saw the outraged look the younger woman gave her, she sighed. "Look, I was furious too. I still am. But the whole reason we're fighting people like Lees and Harker is because this is the kind of crap they do. If she could have gone after someone else before now, she would. But they were protected. Wade and your brothers own PPL, which means your family have serious money and clout on their side; buffoons or not, my brothers and Stoppable have the superpowers thing going on for them. The only one who might have been at risk was your fashion designer friend. Which is why you got her a job with HenchCo."

Kim grimaced. "Sometimes I hate being the good guy."

"Tell me about it." Shego snorted. "I couldn't even kill Lynn."

"Lynn?" Kim blinked.

"She was at the base." Shego gestured behind them. They'd punched out through the Veligruan soldiers fifteen minutes earlier, and were now headed toward a rendezvous with the Go Jet. "Apparently she wanted to conduct my interrogation personally. It didn't end up so well for her."

"But you didn't kill her."

"No. I just finished the job you started." Catching Kin's blank look, Shego gave a slow grin. "Remember how you thought you might have broken her jaw? I _definitely_ did."

"Fer-eaky."

"You want me to break yours too?"

There was a crackle from their headsets. "If I may interrupt?" Betty spoke rapidly, her tone tense. "I've managed to locate Ms Beehan."

"Where is she?" The question came in stereo.

"An airfield on the eastern edge of the island. She's scheduled for transport back to the US just over an hour. I need you two back at the Go Jet immediately if we're going to get there before they take-off."

Shego felt her heart sink. From the stricken look on Kim's face, the redhead was feeling the same sensation. "We're still twenty minutes away, Bets."

"That's too long." Betty's tone was flat.

Kim sucked air through her teeth. "Is there anywhere nearer that you can move the Go Jet?"

"No. I'm sorry, it's all mountains. There's nowhere suitable for landing."

"Go." It took a long moment for Shego to register that she was the one who had spoken.

"Shego?" Doctor Director sounded hesitant. It seemed there was a first time for everything.

"Go, Betty. You're the only one who can get there in time. Princess and I will lay low in the mountains until you can get back."

"I'm not -"

"You're the most decorated agent in Global Justice history." The green woman overrode the objection. She let every ounce of her fury at Alex's treatment bleed into her words. "I read the damn files, Betty. You can do this. You can save her."

"It's been twenty years since -"

"Shego's right." This time the interruption was from Kim. "You've forgotten more than most agent's will ever learn."

"Thank you Kimberley." Doctor Director's tone was dry. "It's how much I have forgotten that concerns me."

"You can do this." The redhead answered calmly. "We both know you can."

The one-eyed woman sighed. "Fine. I'm launching the Go Jet now. Find somewhere secure and hole up. I'll be in touch as soon as Ms Beehan is secure."

The Go Jet launched into the air with a howl from the engines. Betty Director frowned as the aircraft clawed its way upward. It was one thing to promise to rescue Alex Beehan. It was another to follow through on the claim.

"Do you have a plan?" The soft voice interrupted her silent musing.

Betty glanced to her left. "Sorry, Ms Mendes. I'd forgotten you were here. I take it you overheard the conversation?"

Maria nodded. "I did. Can you save Shego's friend?"

"I don't know." The one-eyed woman admitted. "If Kimberley and Shego were here, we could probably have simply stormed in and taken her. The airfield does have guards, but not large numbers of them. Alone -"

"You are not alone. I will help."

Doctor Director opened her mouth to question what one long-retired agent and an untrained girl could do. Then she paused, a glimmer of an idea forming in her mind.

"Kimberley. Shego. Change of plans. I'm sending you the co-ordinates where I'll be setting down the Go Jet. Acquire a vehicle and get there as soon as you can. I have a plan for keeping Ms Beehan in the country, but I may need you to be the cavalry for me."

"You got it, Bets."

"So not the drama."

The one-eyed woman rattled off the co-ordinates, then signed off and turned back to Maria. She took a deep breath.

"This will be dangerous."

"I know." The Veligruan woman nodded. "But after everything Kim and Shego have done for me ... for my country ... I cannot simply stand by. There must be something I can do to help."

"Very well. For some reason Shego insisted on bringing a full wardrobe of clothes with her. It's in the hold. Go down there and see if you can find two outfits. First we need a black pants suit, a white blouse, and dark sunglasses. Leave that out for me. Second, we need the most expensive, over the top dress you can find. The sort of thing that a minister's wife or mistress would wear." Betty paused. "Do you think you can play a minister's wife or mistress?"

Maria gave a soft chuckle. "I think I can do that."

* * *

Half an hour later, a black Land Rover pulled up at the gates of the San Miguel Airfield. A Veligruan soldier ambled to the side of the vehicle, and rapped peremptorily on the tinted glass of the driver's window. After a moment, the glass slid down.

Betty Director stared at the man silently for a moment, letting her lip curl into a dismissive smirk. She wore the black jacket and pants that Maria had picked out for her. The cap on her head, and the sunglasses which concealed her missing eye, on the other hand, were the unwilling donations of the chauffeur whose vehicle they'd 'borrowed'.

"Senorita Carla para ver General de Grupo Vasquez."

The man blinked, then looked nervously back at the other guard, who still lounged at the gate. "El general no he hablado de ello."

The back window of the vehicle rolled down, and Maria launched a tirade of angry Spanish at the fellow. The torrent of words was too rapid, and often rather too colorful, for Betty to keep up, but the gist of it was that the General had better things to do with his time than keep fools and lackwits advised of his every move. There was also a threat that wits were not the only thing the men would lack if they continued to hold her up.

Faced with this diatribe, the guard did the thing that most minions did when presented with a problem: he tried to pass the buck.

"Afraid that isn't going to help you, son." Betty murmured to herself, thumbing the ECM device she'd concealed under the steering wheel. The guard, who had stepped away from the car to make a call to his superior, stared at his radio in confusion. When banging the side of the device proved of no help, he and his colleague had a worried-looking conversation.

Maria unleashed another impatient explosion of abuse, casting doubt not only on the size of their men's intellects, but also their personal parts, the personal parts of their fathers, and indeed the provenance of their siring.

After a minute or two of this abuse, the men obviously tired of the situation. The first guard waved wearily at the second, and the gate creaked upward.

"Siga recto a lo General." the guard called. "En ningún otro lugar."

Betty nodded curtly, raised her window, and drove through the open gate. In the back, Maria loudly declaimed the parentage of the men who had held them up.

"Nice work." The older woman said.

Maria smiled. "It was my pleasure. I have wanted to say those things to soldiers many times, when they would stop me in the street, or when I saw them harassing someone else."

Betty chuckled. "I imagine it would have been satisfying to let loose." She pulled the Land Rover up outside the base commander's office, then hopped out and opened the back door so Maria could step out. Back in her role as an officer's pampered mistress, Maria cast a disdainful look around her, then stalked up the steps and into the wooden building. Betty strode behind, playing the part of the dutiful minder.

The guard at the door snapped to attention as Maria swept imperiously past him. Seeing Betty follow, he frowned and made to step into her way, but a short jab into his belly knocked the wind from him. A swift chop to the back of his neck finished the job. Barely breaking step, the former head of Global Justice pushed the unconscious man so that he slumped more-or-less upright against the wall, and entered the door.

"Not bad for an old woman." Maybe she still had it, after all.

General Vasquez rose from his chair as the two women entered. A short, barrel-bodied man with salt and pepper hair, he stared at them with confused indignation.

"Quién es usted?" he demanded.

"Good afternoon." Betty smiled pleasantly as she drew a Global Justice blaster and pointed it at the man's chest. "There's an aircraft scheduled for departure in fifteen minutes. Call the control tower and tell them to hold the plane, or I'm afraid I'll have to shoot you."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Oops, where did those last two years go?

Actually, don't ask.

Anyway, I'm back. No promises about when I'll next update, though. Well, OK. _One_ promise: it'll be quicker than this time :)

Only a few more chapters left to this. All the pieces are in place.


	30. Strange Alliance

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0048

**Name:** Camille Leon

**Known Aliases:** Classic Camille; The Woman of 1000 Faces

**Relation to Suspect:** Former adversary

**Location:** Hollywood, California

**Biography:** Subject born as heiress to a considerable fortune, but was disinherited due to her out-of-control behavior. Subject gained access to experimental formula allowing her to change her own appearance, and used this formula to pursue criminal activities. Subject apprehended by the suspect on four occasions. Following fourth period of confinement, subject turned her metamorphic abilities to the entertainment industry. Subject has since established a considerable personal fortune on the back of her career in films and television, as well as the successful "Forever Young" cosmetic cream.

**Interrogation: **Subject denied any contact with suspect or knowledge of suspect's whereabouts.

**Surveillance:** Full time surveillance undertaken for 2 week, then discontinued due to difficulty of tracking subject with ability to change their own appearance at will. No sign of contact with suspect.

**Recommendation:** Continue electronic-only surveillance.

* * *

"So Betty and Maria just marched onto a Veligruan airfield, took a General hostage, and hijacked Alex's plane?" Shego gave a low whistle. "They've got big brass ones, I'll give them that. As plans go, though, it lacks Betty's usual finesse."

"We did only give her ten minutes to come up with a plan and half an hour to make it happen." Kim reminded the green woman.

"We?" Shego raised an eyebrow, though as she didn't look away from her pre-flight checks, it was unlikely the redhead saw it. "Alex is my responsibility, and this is my mess."

"I know Alex is important to you, and I admire everything you've done for her. But she wouldn't have been at risk if I hadn't dragged you into this."

The plasma-powered woman paused in the midst of checking fuel gauges. From the guilt and pain in Kim's voice, she knew the teen hero was in the midst of adding another burden onto her own shoulders.

"Lees would have gone after Alex sooner or later." She looked over at the redhead, making sure that she held eye contact. "She and I ... have crossed paths before."

Kim's surprise was obviously genuine. "You never mentioned that."

"You may not have noticed this, Cupcake, but I'm not exactly Ms Share-a-lot." Shego gave one of her less derisive snorts, as she turned her attention back to the console in front of her.

"Yeah." She could hear the smile in Kim's voice. "I remember how hard it was to get you to admit we were friends."

"If I could have come up with some other way to make you stop badgering me, I would have." The green woman grumbled unconvincingly. "How much has Betty told you about Lees?"

"Just the basics. Parents killed when she was young. She blamed the vigilante who tried to stop them being mugged for their deaths. Became a politician, running on a law and order ticket, and eventually worked her way into GJ."

"She's from Go City. That's also where she got her start in politics, not long after a certain meteor crashed into my tree house."

"Oh." Kim processed this news silently for a moment. "I guess she wasn't a fan of yours?"

Shego chuckled. "You could say that, Princess. Fact is, she wasn't a fan of Team Go in general. She was a big part of why Hego was always such a hard ass about the team's PR. Any whiff of controversy, and she would have shut the team down. When I went rogue, that's exactly what she did. That's probably why you never heard about us when you were growing up. It wasn't until you started making it big that the city let my brothers back into the tower."

"... I'm going to enjoy taking Lees down." The redhead's voice shook with suppressed anger. Shego shot her a glance. Kim's face was white, her jaw clenched painfully tight.

"What's up? I know it can't be just about Team Go. Even Hego wasn't _this_ upset."

Kim shook her head. "It's just ... if Lees was the reason that Hego was so uptight about PR, and that's what made him push you to abandon Alex -"

The redhead's train of though hit the pale woman with sudden force. "Then she's responsible for what happened to Alex? It's a tempting way to look at it, Pumpkin. But she only came gunning for us because of what that Lightbringer guy did. Does that mean it's _his_ fault?" The green woman shook her head. "Whatever I think of Lees and her methods, I'm pretty sure _she_ thought she was doing the right thing in trying to shut us down. Hell, I bet Hego thought he was doing the right thing, too ... encouraging a small injustice so he could prevent bigger ones. The only one who thought they were doing the wrong thing, and still did it, was me."

"... you're determined to carry the guilt for what happened to her, aren't you?"

"Kimmie, this may be a surprise to you, but if there is anyone in this cockpit who takes on too much guilt, it ain't me."

The redhead blinked, then laughed softly. "I guess I deserve that."

"You certainly do." The green woman snorted. "I bet you still haven't forgiven yourself for what we did with the bomb."

* * *

"Hey there, girlfriend." Monique slid into the chair opposite Kim. "LTNS."

"Hey, Monique." Kim spoke guardedly, while trying to ignore the heaviness of the black wig she wore. If she was going to keep doing this disguise thing, she really needed to get a shorter haircut.

"I gotta say ..." Monique placed a Styrofoam cup on the table between them. It looked normal enough, but Kim was quite sure that any surveillance devices in the area had just stopped working. Around them, the bustle of the shopping mall continued unabated, the crowds completely unaware that the women at the food court table either were, or worked for, some of the world's wanted criminals. "... I never expected to hear from you."

"I didn't expect to call." Kim acknowledged. "How's the job?"

Monique shrugged. "Keeps me busy."

"So I hear. Vice President of Costumes and Outfitting. What's it like, working for Jack Hench?"

"Jack's -" Monique's initial tone was warm, but then she paused, and continued more formally. "Mister Hench is a good boss. He works hard, and he expects me to do the same, and to get results, but he rewards those results."

Kim frowned. "I wish you didn't have to work there."

"Don't be." Monique shrugged. "We both know it was necessary. And to be honest, I'm enjoying it."

"I know. That's part of the reason I wish you weren't there."

"Mister Hench is a respectable businessman with an entirely legitimate corporation. He's never been convicted for any crime." Monique delivered the line with seeming sincerity. "In fact, HenchCo's books are the most open and accountable in the country." She paused and continued. "Which is why he is entirely unaware of my meeting with you. After all, you _are_ a wanted fugitive."

Her former friend's cool response dismayed the redhead. Not because she believed it - she'd spotted at least a dozen HenchCo agents since sitting down - but because, even with a bug-jammer in place, Monique obviously wasn't going to stray from the HenchCo line.

"I'm aware that Hench has never been successfully prosecuted." Kim deliberately used a more damning formulation of the statement. Still, if Monique insisted on doing it this way, she could play the game. "In fact, it's because of his spotless record that I'm approaching you now. You're aware there was recently a theft from a Global Justice facility?"

"HenchCo has no knowledge or involvement in any such criminal activity."

"Of course not." The former teen hero bit her lip as she looked across at her former friend. She already had misgivings about what she was doing, and Monique's replies were doing nothing to allay those fears. "As I just said, Hench has a spotless record. He's obviously a law-abiding man. And as a law-abiding man, I'm sure he would be very alarmed by the items that have reported to have been stolen."

Monique's eyebrows rose. "Are you saying you know something about the robbery?"

"I've _heard_ that an extremely powerful device was stolen. One that could be very dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands." Kim leaned forward on the table, and placed a thumb drive beside the fake coffee cup. As long as she didn't think too hard about what she was doing, she could go through with this. "Unfortunately, given my current ... legal problems ... I doubt that any information I provided to the normal authorities would be taken in good faith. They might even suppose that I was responsible for the theft in the first place."

"And what exactly is it that you expect Mister Hench to do?"

"Well, as you have said, he is a man of standing and reputation within the community. If I were to provide HenchCo with the information I've heard about the device, then I'm sure the appropriate authorities could be informed and the device could be kept out of the wrong hands." Kim paused, watching Monique's eyes to make sure the other woman understood what she was saying. Her former friend nodded, almost imperceptibly, and the redhead continued. "For example, without Hench's assistance the device might ends up in the hands of say ... a despotic government in a developing nation. That would be a dangerous development."

"A nation in the developing world would not be able to afford such a device." Monique pointed out. Then she stopped and amended her statement. "Or at least, would not be able to afford the kind of sum I imagine such a device would command."

"I'm sure that a motivated seller would be able to strike a deal." Kim demurred. "For instance, if the nation in question were to analyze the device and determine how to make more, the original seller could take a share of future profits in exchange for a smaller up-front fee."

"Profits the seller would never see if the activities of the government in question were to be discovered by the international community." Yes, Monique definitely knew where Kim was going.

"That is true." The redhead admitted. She took a deep breath, forced down her misgivings about what she was about to say, and continued. "Of course, the kind of people who would sell such a device in the first place would doubtless find another way to leverage the sale in those circumstances. For instance, if they sold the device to a nation which had strong public ties with Global Justice, then the revelation of that government's activities would have a very damaging effect on GJ. There would probably be a six to twelve month window where an ambitious and prepared organization could take advantage of unusually weak global law enforcement."

Monique was silent for a long moment, obviously processing the real message in Kim's words: that she would tell Hench where the bomb was, provided he sold it to Harker. Then Kim would use it to take down Harker, and GJ would suffer a battering from the political fallout.

"I can see how such a situation would appeal to a criminal organization." the dark-skinned woman acknowledged. "I think Mister Hench might be willing to pass on your information and ensure that the device ends up in ... appropriate hands. Provided that your information checks out, of course."

"Of course."

"My only concern is what might happen if Mister Hench is unable to alert the appropriate authorities in time, and the b - ... device ... ended up in the wrong hands."

"That would be most unfortunate." Kim's stomach was roiling with disquiet at what she was doing, and she didn't bother to keep the edge out of her tone. "My colleagues and I would _not_ look kindly on such a failure to protect the international community. I'm sure you're familiar with the colleagues in question, and their capabilities."

Monique's eyes widened slightly at the former hero's menacing tone, but then she gave another of those subtle nods. Sell to Harker, or get the bomb back to the proper authorities. Any other outcome, and HenchCo would jump to the top of Kim's hit list. Message understood.

"I doubt Mister Hench will take kindly to your threat." Monique stood. "He will, however, look into the information and endeavor to secure the item for the appropriate owners." She picked up the coffee cup, palming the thumb drive as she did so. She started to turn away, then paused and turned back. "I hope you will understand that I can't meet you again. You're a wanted felon, after all. HenchCo is a respectable corporation. I can't afford to compromise my employer."

"... I understand." Kim struggled to keep her disappointment from showing. "Goodbye, Monique."

"Goodbye, Kim." The words were spoken with finality.

* * *

"I can't believe you literally threw up after doing that." Shego chuckled to herself as she flew the Go Jet nape of the earth over Veligrua.

"I'd just given Jack Hench the location of a bomb as powerful as a small nuclear weapon." Kim pointed out. "And lost a good friend."

"Think of it as trading up from her to me." Shego smirked. Then she paused and frowned. "Wait, I thought you said this thing was a much higher threat level than a nuke?"

Kim nodded. "It is. The grade doesn't just measure the power of a single device. It also measures other factors: how difficult and expensive it is to produce, how hard it is to detect production sites, how portable the device is, how easy it is to conceal. That sort of thing. This thing has the power of a nuclear weapon, but - once you've worked out the technology, which thankfully isn't easy - it scores a lot higher on every other criteria."

"Oh." Now that she fully considered the reality of putting such a device in Jack Hench's hands, Shego felt a little queasy, herself. "We're sure Hench didn't double-cross us?"

"As sure as we can be." Kim admitted, her brow furrowing slightly. "I did threaten him with you, if he tried anything."

"That works on most sane people." The dark-haired woman agreed blithely. "Which explains why it never worked on you."

"Bite me, Shego."

"No thanks. I might catch your crazy." Shego smirked as she heard Kim immediately drew breath to riposte, and instead plowed on. "And we'll be at the airfield in five, so save the pithy comeback for later. Do we have a plan?"

"Land, beat up bad guys, save the day."

"I am so glad you got Betty in to do the thinking."

"Me too." Kim grinned briefly, but then her expression turned pensive. "You know, Shego ... if Hench did double-cross us ... or if that base they took you to wasn't the same place they're doing the research -"

"Please." Shego waved away the latter idea. "Veligrua's the size of a postage stamp. How many ultra-secret bases could Harker have?"

"Hopefully just the one." Kim agreed. "But that still leaves us relying on Hench. Betty did everything she could to check he'd gone through with the deal as we offered it to him, but the man's spent his whole life outwitting the law."

Shego nodded. "I get it, Princess. If Hench has double-crossed us, then GJ are already on their way to the airfield and you and I -"

"Y me!"

"- and the rat, are walking into a hornet's nest. One we might not walk out of."

"Yeah." Kim said in a small voice, watching the ground rush toward them as Shego executed a dangerously fast approach to their landing point. "Though if we do die today, I'd prefer it to be from enemy fire, and not crashing on landing."

"Cry-baby." Shego worked her magic at the controls, and the Go Jet landed as lightly as a feather in the middle of the airfield. Stunned Veligruan soldiers, many of whom had thrown themselves to avoid what had looked like a fiery crash in the making, gaped at them from all sides.

"Seriously, Shego." As they both stood, Kim reached out and briefly clasped the older woman's shoulder. "If this does turn out to be a Butch and Sundance moment for us, I can't think of anyone else I'd prefer to have by my side."

Shego gave a confident smirk as they headed toward the Go Jet's hatch. "Butch and Sundance didn't have a luchador mole rat watching their backs, right Rojo?"

"Si!" The tiny rodent gave her a double thumbs up.

"Shego ..."

The green woman nodded her understanding. "I know, Princess. And if this is the end, I'm glad it's here with you. But I intend to walk out of this fight just as sexy - and every bit as alive - as I went in."

"Okay." Kim smiled. "_Now_ we have a plan."

* * *

The Go Jet hatch swung open.

Tracer rounds stitched around the opening as one lone Veligruan machine-gunner - perhaps a little less shocked than his comrades, perhaps just reflexively squeezing the trigger - unleashed a burst of fire. Anyone standing in the opening would have been scythed in half.

Anyone human, anyway.

Rojo somersaulted down from the back of the door and raced across the tarmac toward the plane that held Betty and Maria. Despite his speed and small size, it was a dangerous dash; any sharp-eyed Veligruan might have picked him out.

Fortunately, all the Veligruans, sharp-eyed or otherwise, were wholly preoccupied with other matters.

Shego dropped out of the emergency hatch on the underside of the plane. With a grunt of effort, she hurled a literal _sheet_ of plasma across the airfield. Veligruans scattered. Most avoided the blast; those that did not found themselves suffering mild sunburn, but little more.

The green-skinned woman sagged for a moment after her effort. The Dimmer was still coursing through her veins, and even this light-show; for that was all it was; had drained her resources.

Light-show or not, the sheet of fire had the desired effect. Panic and confusion reigned amongst the Veligruans for a few precious seconds. And then Kim hit them.

The redhead may have lost her Peregrine suit when GJ had captured them, but she still had her hairdryer grappling gun. She fired, snaring the cupola of an armored vehicle, then hit the 'retract cable' button. With the hook securely fastened to an all-but-immovable object, the gun's powerful motor yanked her across the open ground to the Veligruan lines.

Booted feet slammed into the muzzle of a machine-gun, spinning the weapon around so that it slammed into its operator and knocked him cold. Nanobombs scattered in a wide arc across the soldiers' position, sowing more chaos as they detonated with disorienting fury. The former hero felt a moment of worry over using the last of their supply, but this was not a time for half measures. She followed the nanobombs like an avenging angel. Men still staggering from the deafening - though largely harmless - explosions, suddenly found a fist or a boot crashing into them with stunning force.

Five men fell, then six, then seven. But officers were now rallying their troops, shouting at those who still cowered and threatening to shoot anyone who ran. An eighth man followed the previous seven, but the tide was moments from turning.

Which was when Shego swept in to hold it back.

Still weakened by the Dimmer, the green woman knew every move she made was slower than it should be; every punch less accurate and less forceful. But she struck at a force of conscripts already battered by sight and sound and by the whirling fury that was Kimberley Anne Possible. In their shoes, Shego would have run, too.

And run the soldiers did. First one, shoulder-charging a screaming officer to do so. Then a second. Then a flood of them, scurrying away while their leaders chased in their wake, attempting to restore order.

For a moment, Shego allowed herself a surge of elation. Two practically unarmed women and a half-pound rodent had just put to flight sixty well-armed men.

Unfortunately, those men would soon recover their nerve when they realized just how few in numbers their attackers actually were.

"C'mon, Shego!" Kim called, already turning away from the fight.

That was the plan. Hit the Veligruans hard; drive them off for a few precious seconds, then get to Betty's plane and execute an emergency take-off, while there was no-one in position to shoot it out of the air. It was bold to the point of crazy, but it actually seemed to be working. Things would still be tight, though. Too tight. If the Veligruans had even one especially forceful officer, the wide-open airfield would turn into a shooting gallery. There had to be something she could do; something to hold off the inevitable counter-attack for the few extra moments they needed.

And then she saw the ammunition boxes.

It was stupid. Shego knew that even as she did it. She was drugged up with plasma-suppressants, and she'd already nearly drained herself with what amounted to an impressive flashbulb. But she reached down into herself, delving deep into reserves that screamed they were exhausted, and _demanded more_.

The resulting plasma-blast was an anemic thing, a mere whisper compared to the roar what was her usual fire. But it struck true.

The grenades went up first, in a string of sharp detonations. Then the rifle and machine-gun ammo followed, tracer rounds shooting into the air like demented fireworks. The Veligruans, on the verge of being rallied, routed again.

And so; her body folding like a puppet losing its strings; did Shego. She felt a brief moment of bemused annoyance that she was going to die here, on this no-account airfield in this no-account country.

Then suddenly there were two slim but sturdy arms hooking under her armpits, and someone was dragging her backwards, muttering as they went.

"Goddamn it, Shego. Would you stop being such a big freaking hero all the time?"

"Sorry Princess. Won't happen again." Shego apologized.

And then she passed out.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Wheeee. That was fun to write :)

And so Betty's plan is revealed, in all its mad genius. Well, hopefully you thought it was clever. It's definitely a little mad! Don't worry if you haven't quite followed all the details of it; there'll be a bit of exposition next chapter to make sure it is all spelled out.

We're really into the endgame, here. Probably only one more full-length chapter and a short epilogue to go.

Oh, and don't worry - the KiGo _is_ coming. I promise!


	31. Endings and Beginnings

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** POSSKA-17-001

**PI Ref:** 0051

**Name:** Anton Harker (Colonel, retired)

**Known Aliases:** General Harker, El Presidente

**Relation to Suspect:** Current primary target

**Location:** Veligruan Presidential Compound

**Biography:** An Austrian mercenary who joined the Veligruan military and rose to the rank of Colonel, Harker staged a coup in 1978, citing evidence of a Cuban-supported communist insurgency as his pretext for acting. Reliable evidence of this insurgency has never been produced. However, Harker's hardline anti-communist stance earned him financial and political support from the United States. Harker's authoritarian regime, and dubious human rights record, has made him a target of the suspect's activities.

**Interrogation: **Veligruan Security has provided a copy of the subject's statement regarding the suspect. Requests for a face to face interview with Global Justice operatives have been declined due to 'health and security concerns'.

**Surveillance:** Subject remains in Veligruan Presidential Compound at all times. No surveillance has been possible.

**Recommendation:** Discontinue surveillance until such time as subject leaves Presidential Compound.

* * *

Shego stirred.

Kim leaned forward as the pale woman's eyes slowly opened.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

The green-skinned woman moistened her lips. "Like I've been drugged, beaten and shot at."

"Sarcasm." Kim summoned up a weary smile. "That's a good sign."

"Are we airborne?" Shego started to lever herself up, sagged back and grimaced, her skin going so pale as to turn nearly white. Kim half-stood, intending to assist, but the former villainess shook her head. "I can do it."

"We're still on the runway." Kim answered, mostly because talking helped to distract her from Shego's painful struggle to become vertical. "Your stunt with the ammo boxes bought us time to get aboard the plane, but GJ arrived before Betty and Rojo could get us into the air. They blocked the runway with vehicles."

Shego took a hissing breath between her teeth. "Not good. How long have I been out?"

"Just over an hour."

"Betty got a plan?" Shego finally won her battle to stand upright. As she did so, Kim 'casually' stepped sideways, so she would be close enough to support the other woman if that achievement proved temporary.

"She's working on it." The redhead shrugged, doing her best to look nonchalant. She wasn't successful.

"It's been a whole hour and there's no plan? What aren't you telling me, Pumpkin?"

Kim silently debated prevaricating, then sighed. Shego would find out soon enough. "She's had a couple of plans. I nixed them."

* * *

"No."

Doctor Director massaged her temple, just beside her eye-patch. "Kimberley ..."

"_No._" The redhead repeated more forcefully, folding her arms. "It's not an acceptable plan."

"It's the best plan we're likely to get, in the time we have before Global Justice are ready to move."

"Then we'll use a worse plan."

"Kimberley. Kim. I really think -"

"No." The hero turned renegade was going to say it as many times as it needed to be said. "This is not negotiable. I'm not running out on you guys."

"It isn't a matter of running out on us. It's a matter of keeping at least one member of the team out of enemy hands. If you and Rojo strike out alone, you have a good shot at getting out of here. If you're saddled with an untrained girl, a desk jockey and two invalids, it's impossible."

"Nothing is impossible for a Possible." The retort was fierce. Kim knew that logic was on the older woman's side, but if she let logic rule her life, she never would have left Global Justice.

"That's not a literal statement, Kim."

"I know that!" The redhead snapped, then sighed and moderated her tone. "I know I can't flap my arms and fly to the moon. That's not what the motto means. But it does mean that you shouldn't compromise your values just because it would be easier if you did. I won't betray myself or my friends like that."

"You wouldn't be betraying us." Betty seized on a new line of attack. "I'm sure the others would agree with me if we asked them."

"We're not going to ask them." Kim narrowed her eyes. "I mean that. Don't even mention it to them."

"... it's likely Shego will independently come to the same conclusion."

"And I'll tell her the same thing I'm telling you: no."

"Betty wanted you to go solo, didn't she?"

Kim sighed. "She said you'd work it out."

"Doy." Shego leaned against a counter, obviously doing her best to make the movement look casual. Kim, who had noticed the tremor in the green woman's legs, pretended to believe her. "It's the right play, Kimmie. You're the only one with a good shot at getting out of this."

"I'm not doing it."

The green woman opened her mouth to say something, then stopped and clicked her tongue against her teeth. "There's no point trying to talk sense into you, is there?"

"None." The redhead admitted, a smile briefly turning up the corners of her mouth. "Doctor Director already tried. Look ... I won't ... I _can't_ ... escape and leave the rest of you behind. I could never ask you all to take a risk I wasn't taking."

"It might not be that much of a risk." The green woman persisted. "If things went as Betty intended, Lees and Harker are on borrowed time."

"Which makes falling into their hands _more_ dangerous, not less." Kim retorted. "They'll take whatever chance for revenge they can get."

"If you get captured, you'll just be giving them one more target."

"Then paint a bullseye on me, because I'm not leaving." The redhead was emphatic. "I can't run and leave you and Betty to pay the cost of the fight I started. I certainly don't have the right to ask Maria or Alex to pay it."

"I'm not going to be able to change your mind, am I?"

Kim shook her head. "No. I do understand that it's the rational thing to do. But I can't do it. I can't leave you -" she paused, taken aback by just how much she meant that statement. "Uh ... any of you, I mean."

"Relax, Pumpkin." Shego managed a fair approximation of a sardonic grin. "I knew it wasn't just my green ass you were worried about."

Banter. Banter was something Kim could deal with. "Well, you know I saved your butt twice today already. You need to let someone else have a turn."

Shego chuckled, then winced.

"You okay?" Kim asked.

"Yeah." The pale woman waved away the concern. "Getting shot was worse, trust me."

"I'll definitely take your word on that." In truth, Kim's body bore a couple of scars from bullets, but they'd been flesh wounds, nowhere near as serious as the injury Shego had suffered.

"So does Betty know how long it will be until GJ are ready to move?" The green woman changed the subject.

"She estimated two to three hours after arrival."

"So if I've been out for an hour, we've got, what ... forty-five minutes until we need to be on full alert?"

"Something like that." Kim didn't bother to point out that Shego was exhausted merely by the simple act of standing. When the time came, the green woman would insist on fighting. Just as Kim herself would do, if their positions were reversed. Which prompted a thought. "You wouldn't leave either, would you? If you were in my place, I mean. You'd stay to protect Alex."

Shego was silent for a moment. "Yeah. I would stay. And not just to protect Alex. This is my fight now, too. Though speaking of Alex ..." She gingerly levered herself up from the counter. "I'd like to take some time to go see her."

* * *

Shego sat in the small medical compartment that had been installed on the commercial jet. She was alone with Alex, Kim having shadowed her to the door, but then left to give the green woman some privacy.

"Not that Pumpkin admitted what she was looking out for me." She told Alex quietly, as she held her old friends hand clasped between her own. "She 'just happened to be heading the same way'. Nice of her to pretend she didn't think I was about to pass out on my feet, I guess."

Alex, of course, did not answer. She never did. Never would. She lay as she always lay; silent and still, slowly getting older. Shego leaned forward and brushed a bit of lank brown hair away from the other woman's forehead.

"I'm sorry I failed you." It was an apology she made every time she saw Alex. An apology she would never stop making. "Sorry that I couldn't ..." An apology she had never been able to finish. She sat, not speaking or moving, for over a minute.

"My apologies for intruding." Maria's quiet voice broke the silence. Shego glanced up, surprised to have company. She'd been so involved with her thoughts that she hadn't heard the Veligruan woman approach. "I was just coming to check on Ms Beehan ... I have a little first aid training. But I did not realize you were already here."

"That's okay." Shego kept her voice low and level. "It's good to know someone has been watching over Alex."

"You love her." It was not a question.

"Maybe you didn't get the memo, but I don't play for your team."

"There are many kinds of love, Shego." If Maria was offended by the green woman's instinctively hostile response, she did not show it. "The kind of love that Lucia and I share is just one of them." She checked Alex's pulse, then gently massaged one of the comatose woman's thin arms. "You do not feel that sort of love for Ms Beehan. Though I think, perhaps, you wish you did."

"What?" The former villainess glared at the Veligruan woman. "Why would I want that?"

"Clearly you blame yourself for what happened to your friend." Maria met the green woman's fierce gaze with a gentle one of her own. "And I think you believe that if you had loved her more, you would have made a different choice, and she would not be in this condition."

Feeling the tension in her own body, Shego released Alex's hand. "I don't like being psycho-analyzed."

"Then it is just as well I am simply speaking as a friend, and not pretending to be a doctor."

"A friend?" Shego raised an eyebrow. "This is only our second real conversation, and I spent most of the first one lying to you."

Maria shrugged. "Kim trusts you. Cares for you. That is enough for me."

"So what makes you think I love Alex now?" The green woman steered the conversation back to less dangerous waters. Only marginally less dangerous, true, but less dangerous nonetheless.

"You willingly gave yourself up to protect her. To put another's life before your own ... how can that not be love?"

"Princess does it all the time."

"Kim ... is a unique person."

Shego's lips quirked. "You can say that again."

"She is a true hero." Maria did not respond to the quip. "Very few people could do as she does. Most of us ... myself included ... cannot be so selfless. But I would die to protect Lucia. You would die to protect Ms Beehan. Is there a better definition of love?"

* * *

"Hey."

This time the interruption to Shego's stilted, one-sided conversation with Alex was Kim. The slender redhead hovered at the doorway, evidently unsure if she should intrude.

"What's up, Princess?"

"Doctor Director wants a conference in fifteen. That okay?"

"Yeah." Shego nodded. "Thanks for giving me some time to myself."

"So not a drama. Oh ... Maria asked me to apologize for her. She said she hopes she didn't disturb you too much when she came to check on Alex, earlier."

The green woman chuckled softly. "Maria may not have super-powers or be the world's most wanted woman, but she's not afraid to speak her mind."

"Speaking her mind was what got her into trouble with Harker's people to begin with." Kim agreed. "She, uh ... she didn't upset you, did she?"

Yes. "No." Shego shook her head. "She did give me something to think about, though."

"Oh. Anything I can help with?"

"Always gotta be the hero to the rescue eh, Kimmie?"

Kim blushed. "Apparently. You can tell me to get lost, if you want."

"It's okay." Shego shrugged. Hell, it couldn't hurt to tell Kim what Maria had said. Some of it, anyway. "She said I must love Alex."

"... how did you react to that?"

The green woman smirked. "About how you'd expect. But I let her explain herself before I barbecued her. And I guess she had a point. Putting someone else's well-being ahead of your own is a pretty good definition of love."

"It is a classic." Kim acknowledged. "Greater love hath no one than this; that they lay down their life for their friends."

"'Hath'? I guess you're quoting."

Kim waggled a hand in the air. "Paraphrasing. I don't remember the exact wording. It's from the bible. It's a good definition."

"You could do better, of course." Shego needled gently.

Kim blushed. "Maybe. When we planning my wedding, I asked mom how she knew my dad was 'the one'. And she said, it was because if she discovered the world was going to end tomorrow, she'd want to spend her last twenty-four hours with him. I asked her if that was still true, and she said the only thing that had changed was that she would also want the boys and I to be with them."

"Even by brain surgeon standards, your mom is pretty smart." The green woman admitted. "Was that how it was for you and Ron?"

"Come on, Shego." Kim chuckled. "You know me better than that. If I knew the world was ending tomorrow, I'd spend my last twenty-four hours trying to save it."

The green woman laughed. "Yeah. You would. But Ron would be right there with you."

Kim sighed. "Back then, yeah. Now ..."

"You'd have me." The words just popped out. She hadn't meant to say them. Hell, she hadn't meant to _think_ them. But she was tired, drugged, and emotionally exhausted. Not the greatest combination for self-control.

A smile, tentative and almost shy, tugged at the corners of Kim's lips. "I would?"

"Doy." The green woman pretended nonchalance. "It's the only world I've got, Kimmie. I'm rather attached to it." Which had nothing to do with why she'd said what's she'd said, but she wasn't ready to think about the real reason, just yet.

The redhead's smile faded slightly, but she reached out and gently touched Shego's shoulder. "I'd be glad to have you with me."

"Of course you would." The pale woman had a grip on her thoughts and speech, now. "I kick ass."

"You do." Kim let her fingers slide off the older woman's arm. "But that's not why I'd be glad. It means a lot to know you'd be there for me." The redhead paused, then spoke again, slowly and quietly. "Before you got involved in this sitch ... the whole deal with Veligrua, I mean ... I was in a pretty bad place, mentally. Nothing I did seemed to really make any difference. I was frustrated ... anxious. Sooner or later, I was going to make a mistake. Then you came along, and damn near kicked my ass ... and you got my head back in the game. Thank you. Whatever happens next, I couldn't have accomplished half as much as I have without you."

Shego sat silently for a long moment, not trusting her voice to answer. Finally, she reined in her emotions enough to speak. "Thank you, Princess. I ... never expected to end up here, with you. But whatever happens next, I'm glad I did."

"Okay." Kim nodded. "I ... thank you. Again. I ... I'll give you a few more minutes with Alex. See you in the cockpit in ten."

"You got it, Kimmie." Shego watched the younger woman leave, then leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling with unseeing eyes. Finally, she stood, and leaned over the bed to brush her lips across the cool skin of Alex's forehead.

"Goodbye, Alex. I love you. I always will. But I think I've finally realized ... if the world were to end tomorrow, there's someone else I'd need to spend my last day with."

* * *

Shego was halfway to the cockpit when Maria came running from the other direction.

"They need you." The Veligruan woman exclaimed, pointing back the way she'd come. "Something's happening!"

As best she could, the green woman hurried forward. It wasn't much more than a jog, if she was truthful, but it was a damn sight better than struggling to stay upright. All she needed now was a Dimmer-antidote and six weeks pampering in a spa and she'd be back to her usual form.

"What's going on?" The green woman asked, squeezing into the cockpit. Kim immediately rose from the co-pilot's chair and gestured for her to take it. Shego frowned, and there was a momentary and silent battle of wills before the former villainess allowed common sense to override pride and sank down into it.

"Global Justice are removing the vehicles on the runway." Betty's voice was tight, on edge.

"What?" Shego stared out of the cockpit windows. The one-eyed woman was right. One GJ truck had already pulled entirely off the runway; the second was also backing off. In a few seconds, they would have a clear path for take-off. "Why? Why are they doing that?"

"I don't know." The former head of Global Justice clearly found those words unpalatable. Her mouth twisted into a frown.

The radio crackled.

"This is William Du, Acting Chief of Operations for Global Justice, calling Doctor Elizabeth Director. I wish to speak with you, and have ordered the vehicles on the runway removed as a sign of good faith. Doctor Director, please respond."

"Acting Chief of Operations?" Kim whispered, before a smile slowly began to form on her face. "Do you think ... ?"

"I think we should be careful." Shego felt the same surge of hope, and she didn't want to spoil the moment, but someone had to sound a note of caution.

"I agree with Shego." Of course, she should have realized that she could count on Betty for that. "We should remain alert for a surprise assault."

"We will." Kim assured the older woman. "But we need to know. We need to answer him."

Betty nodded, and picked up the radio transmitter. "Mister Du. You should direct your communications to Kim Possible. She is the one in charge here."

"I'm sorry Doctor Director, but the Global Justice Council specifically asked that I contact you." Will's voice crackled back through the radio speakers. "They wish to meet with you, via holographic array, to discuss certain developments in the Veligruan situation. I have been authorized to provide a guarantee of safe conduct for you to attend this meeting, and an undertaking not to assault the plane in your absence."

"Stand by." Betty turned the transmitter off, then turned to Kim and Shego. "Thoughts?"

"Could be a trap." Shego felt she was pointing out the obvious, but it had to be done.

Kim frowned. "I don't think Will would offer us a guarantee unless he believed it was genuine, but ..."

"The Council could have lied to him." Betty finished the thought.

"This holo-whatsit they want to use, can they bring it here?" Shego asked.

"There's a mobile field HQ that includes a holographic array." Betty explained. "It's on an articulated trailer. They can bring the trailer to the airfield, and probably already have, but we'd have to leave this craft to use it."

The green woman sighed. "No chance they'll talk over radio, I guess?"

Betty shook her head. "The holographic communications system is isolated and encrypted. Radio is not."

Kim spoke up. "I say we do it."

"It's a big risk, Pumpkin."

"I know." The redhead nodded. "But they cleared the runway; that's a pretty convincing show of goodwill. And if it's an attempt to lure us into a trap, it's a very brave one."

"Unless they have surface to air missiles around here somewhere." Shego pointed out.

"If they had that kind of ordnance and were willing to use it, they could just blow up the plane where it is." Kim turned to Betty. "I say do it."

The one-eyed woman nodded, and picked up the transmitter once more. "Chief Du, this is Elizabeth Director. We agree to meet with the Global Justice Council. Kim, Shego and I will be ready in ten minutes. Ensure your people are, as well."

"The Council would prefer to meet with you alone -"

"The Council can kiss my wrinkly old ass." Betty's interruption nearly caused Shego to laugh out loud. Instead, the pale woman bit her lip to keep silent and made sure she didn't look at Kim. The redhead had already let out a smothered snort, and Shego was pretty sure that if they looked at each other, they'd lose it. "All three of us. Ten minutes." Betty flicked the transmitter and turned to the two younger women. She stared at them impassively for several seconds, taking in their expressions. "Did I say something amusing?"

* * *

"The fact that the Council wanted to meet only with me is a good sign." Betty remarked as the three women crossed the warm tarmac to the Global Justice Mobile HQ. "Not much of a trap just if they just grab me." Not that this had stopped her from organizing what precautions she could, in the ten minute window she'd given herself to work with.

Will Du met the trio at the entrance of the HQ. "Doctor Director." He greeted Betty formally, then nodded to Kim and Shego. "And associates."

"Hi, Will." Kim said pleasantly. Shego just grunted. Pumpkin might think this guy was a straight arrow - which he'd almost have to be, with the stick up his butt - but he might not be the one who was really in charge.

"Please, come inside." Will gestured into the HQ. "This will be a private meeting with the Council. Other than myself, no-one else will be present. I've ordered all other Global Justice personnel to leave the vehicle."

Betty nodded imperiously, and swept aboard. Kim and Shego, after a quick glance around for signs of an ambush, followed, with Will Du at the rear.

"Doctor Director." The holographic Chairman nodded a greeting as the three women filed into the chamber. Holograms of the other Governors - absent the notable exception of Ruth Lees - watched silently.

"Chairman. Governors." Betty dropped naturally into parade rest and looked at each hologram in turn. One or two of the Council actually had the decency to look abashed. "You requested a meeting?"

"We did." The Chairman cleared his throat. "Though we had hoped to meet with you individually."

"I'm sure Acting Chief Du communicated my refusal of that request." Betty's single eye glinted with amusement. "Whatever you want to say to me, you can say to Kim and Shego."

"Very well." The Chairman acquiesced with undisguised ill-grace. "Doubtless they are as involved in this situation as you, in any case."

"Perhaps you'd like to fill us in on what this situation _is_?" Kim asked sweetly. Unlike Betty, she stood with her arms akimbo, radiating defiance. Shego, for her part, had adopted her usual air of studied boredom. She had also drifted to the back of the room, near the door. She was pretty sure she could generate a little plasma now, if she had to. Not much, but enough to blow a couple of hinges if they needed a fast escape.

The Chairman gave Kim a sour look, then cleared his throat. "Approximately three hours ago, Global Justice agents detected significant seismic tremors in a remote area of Veligrua. In accordance with Global Justice regulations, which permit and require agents to respond immediately to humanitarian emergencies without recourse to higher authority, the senior field agent in the area - William Du - dispatched agents to assist with any Veligruans affected by the earthquake."

The Chinese Governor took up the story. "The agents discovered a secret base, apparently operated by the Veligruan government, at the affected site. Substantial evidence of human rights abuses was discovered, as well as a laboratory where Veligruan scientists were experimenting with controlled technology; specifically an explosive device recently stolen from a Global Justice facility in the United States."

"In light of these discoveries ..." The Russian Governor spoke next, his expression that of someone tasting something bitter. "... the Governing Council has been forced to re-examine a number of decisions recently taken by the Governor from the United States. In particular, shortly after the burglary at a facility within her jurisdiction, this Governor, acting as Global Justice Chief of Operations, extended considerable monetary and technological aid to the Veligruan government. A government we now know to be flagrantly contravening international law by research into prohibited technology."

"Don't forget those human rights abuses." Shego suggested, though she didn't look up from doing her nails as she did so. "The Veligruan people certainly won't."

"... yes. And also contravening human rights agreements." The Chairman acknowledged. "Given the overwhelming evidence of malfeasance by the Veligruan government, and the dubious and clearly unethically close association between them and the Governor from the United States, we have been forced to revoke that Governor's position on the Council, as well as her authority as Chief of Operations. She has been taken into custody pending a full enquiry."

Betty raised her eyebrow. "I assume measures will also be taken against the Veligruan government?"

"They must." The Chairman acknowledged. "Rogue regimes such as this cannot be allowed to persist. Global Justice will liaise with the United Nations to arrange free and open elections within Veligrua, leading to the appointment of a democratic and responsible government."

"Excellent news for the people of Veligrua." Betty observed, her expression guarded and controlled. "But I cannot imagine you asked me here simply to inform me of these events."

"No, we have not." The Chairman sighed. "In light of these events, the Council felt it necessary to review many recent decisions taken at the behest of the former Governor. In this review, it was noted that you, Doctor Director, were unusually outspoken in your criticism of the decisions, despite the negative impact you knew this would have on your career. The Governing Council feels that, as we negotiate the difficult time brought upon us by the former Governor, Global Justice would be best served by the appointment of a Chief of Operations with that kind of integrity and commitment. Consequently, we wish to formally offer you the position ... with, of course, a full reinstatement of all your previous service and seniority."

Betty smiled. "The Governing Council's faith in my abilities is very flattering. But I must respectfully decline."

The Governors looked stunned. Kim looked stunned. Shego was pretty sure _she_ looked stunned. Will Du went beyond stunned and hit full-on gobsmacked.

"I don't understand." The Chairman finally voiced the thoughts of the entire room.

"It's simple enough, sir." Betty kept her eye fixed on the Chairman. "Although I did question the former Governor's actions, the fact remains that she was able to plan and execute her perfidious scheme while Global Justice operations were under my command. That makes her actions _my_ responsibility. It means I failed the most vital task that had been entrusted to me."

Shego couldn't believe what she was hearing. From her expression, neither could Kim. Betty was falling on her sword - voluntarily absolving the Council of all blame for Lees's actions and taking all it all upon herself, instead. Why?

"In light of this failing on my part, I cannot in good conscience accept your offer." As she spoke, Betty shot a look at Kim and Shego, silently asking them to trust her. "Instead, I recommend that you ratify the current Acting Chief as a permanent appointment. Agent Du is a young man of exemplary character, and a meticulous and conscientious agent. I have no doubt he would excel in the role. Plus, given his central role in uncovering Governer Lees's machinations, his integrity is unimpeachable."

"... you are undoubtedly correct, Doctor Director." Suddenly, the Chairman looked like all his Christmases had come at once. Not surprising, given that Betty had just made herself the scapegoat for all the Councils failings.

"I do have one small request, though, sir."

"Oh?" Suspicion flickered across the man's face. "What is it?"

"Since all the current charges pending against myself, Kim Possible, and Shannon Edwards relate to the former Governor's machinations, I trust the Council will see fit to have them revoked, so that we may go on with our lives?" A grim smile tugged at the edges of Betty's mouth, suggesting that things would _not_ go well for the Council if they refused.

"These are the world's two most wanted women, Doctor Director." The Governor from the United Kingdom observed. "How exactly could we justify such a step?"

"I am sure, if it became known that Kim and Shego's actions were taken as part of a long-term undercover operation to identify corruption within Global Justice, that such a pardon would seem quite reasonable." Betty smiled blandly. Shego fought the urge to whistle appreciatively.

The audio cut off for several seconds as the Governors conferred. Finally they returned.

"We find your request acceptable."

* * *

"What just happened in there?" Shego asked, as she, Kim and Betty returned to the plane. In the distance, Global Justice were already disarming the Veligruan soldiers, Will Du apparently seizing his new role with relish.

"Doctor Director made one more sacrifice for Global Justice." Kim, evidently, understood what was going on.

"We stopped Lees's crusade, and brought down Harker's government." Betty explained to the green woman. "But to do it, we seriously damaged Global Justice's international credibility. I know that doesn't mean much to you, but the organization does a lot of good. Anything I can do to minimize the harm to Global Justice, I will. If that means letting the Council paint me as the weak link who allowed Lees to get out of control, so be it. They'll lambast me in the press and talk up Agent Du as a brave young man who uncovered corruption. He'll be their shining beacon."

"And because of that, the Council can't afford for him to fail." Shego connected the dots. "He'll get all the resources he needs. All the things they denied you."

Betty nodded. "Hopefully this way, Global Justice will fully recover in three or four months, instead of eight or ten."

"That'll give Jackie-boy a nasty surprise." Shego mused.

Betty chuckled. "I sincerely hope Kimberley and I will give him a few more nasty surprises than that."

"That's why the you got us the pardon, isn't it?" Kim asked. "So we can go after HenchCo without looking over our shoulders all the time."

Shego nodded. "That makes sense. I was wondering why you bothered, given Kimmie's Robin Hood complex and my nose for trouble."

Betty shrugged. "We will still need to be careful. Not every agency in the world will be as forgiving. But none of them have the reach of Global Justice."

Shego got the distinct impression that while Jack Hench was about to have a couple of very good months, in balance, he was going to have a very bad year.

* * *

A boisterous party was in full swing in the courtyard. News of Harker's arrest, and a United Nations promise to provide free and democratic elections, had provoked great excitement and revelry in Sancho's home. Dozens of Veligruans sang and danced, or ate and drank, or drank and danced, celebrating the first real set toward a better future for their country.

Maria and Lucia, reunited at last, had appeared briefly at the festivities, then disappeared together for a private celebration of their own. Free and democratic the country might soon become, but not all social changes would happen overnight.

Sancho, surrounded by his sons and filled with wine, bellowed uproariously at the center of the celebration, alternately dancing with his wife and making grandiose toasts to the heroes of the hour.

Betty Director, her cheeks a little pink from one too many Sangrias, dozed peacefully in one corner.

Rojo, shaking his head at the strangeness of humans, had found one of the villages few television sets and was watching grainy footage of Mexican wrestling.

Shego, staying on the fringes of the festivities, was the only one who noticed the missing piece of the puzzle. Kim had allowed herself to be the star attraction at the start of the party, dutifully sipping a glass of wine during each of Sancho's first dozen toasts. But once things got boisterous, the redhead had slipped away.

The green woman climbed the steps onto the building's flat roof, where the younger woman lay on several folded blankets, arms behind her head, staring up at the stars.

"What you thinking about, Princess?"

"Nothing much." Kim answered, turning her head away from the green woman. Shego paused. The response had sounded thick, almost ... she moved closer, peering at the younger woman in the moonlight. There was a glimmer on the redhead's cheeks.

"You're crying." The pale woman sank down next to her old enemy. Her new friend. The woman she would spend her last day on Earth with. "Kimmie, what's wrong?"

"It's over." The redhead whispered.

"What is?"

"This. Everything. You. Me." Kim wiped at her eyes. "I'm not making any sense."

"It's good that it's over." Shego pointed out. "We won, Princess, remember?"

"I know. And I'm happy for Sancho and Maria and for everyone on Veligrua." Kim sat up, resting her arms on her knees, and stared at her own hands as she talked. "But ... despite all the drama and the danger, I've been happier in the last couple of weeks than I have been for a long time. I ... I'm going to miss this."

"It's a new fight you're facing, Kimmie. And Jack Hench is certainly a big fight to pick." Tentatively, Shego reached out and laid a hand on Kim's arm. "But nothing else has changed."

Kim blinked, then finally looked at her, expression halfway between hope and doubt. "But ... aren't you leaving?"

Shego raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to?"

"No!" The redhead was emphatic. She blushed. "No. Of course not. I just ... well, you had a personal stake in fighting Lees. I didn't think the hero thing was for you."

"Shall I tell you something I only just worked out for myself, Pumpkin?" Shego waited for the younger woman to nod, then continued. "I realized that it was never being a hero that I hated. It was being forced into someone else's definition of what was 'right'. Of being told 'yes you can' and 'no you can't' all the time. Of giving up things that I believed in and valued because someone else didn't approve of them. Does that sound familiar to you at all?"

Kim managed a wobbly smile. "It sounds a lot like why I left Global Justice."

"Yes, it does." Shego glanced up at the stars. "I didn't hate being a hero, I hated being told what a hero was. As a kid, I couldn't tell the difference. Now, I can. These last few weeks, fighting for something real, alongside the people I love, have been the best time of my life." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the green woman realized what she'd said. Her only hope was that Princess wouldn't pick up on it.

"The people you love?" Of course Kim would pick up on it.

"I said 'the people I like'." Oh no she hadn't.

"Shego." The redhead's voice was quiet, but insistent. The green woman turned to face her. Kim's eyes were beautiful. How had she never noticed that?

"Yes, Princess?"

"I ..." Kim paused, looking momentarily fearful. Then she spoke, her eyes locked with Shego's. "If the world were ending tomorrow, I would spend every minute fighting to save it ... but I don't think I could do it without you at my side. Please tell me you'd be there."

"Kimmie, Kimmie, Kimmie." Shego leaned forward, until their foreheads touched. She could feel the redhead's breath on her lips. "I couldn't be anywhere else."

And then there was only the warmth of each other's arms, and no more need to talk.

* * *

**Author's Note:** And finally, two years late, we have the bumper length final chapter of "Most Wanted". I hope you enjoyed it.

There will be a short epilogue posted sometime in the next week.


	32. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_GJ Person(s) of Interest Form_

**Case Ref:** LEESRM-18-001

**PI Ref:** 0001

**Name:** Ruth Margaret Lees

**Known Aliases:** None known at this time

**Relation to Suspect:** N/A

**Location:** Global Justice custody

**Biography:** Parents killed in a mugging while suspect was a young girl. Evidence suggests deaths were the result of interference in crime by vigilante 'Lightbringer' (PI Ref 0049). As an adult, suspect became a Go City alderman, campaigning on a law and order platform. Suspect was notorious for hardline stance against freelance operatives such as Team Go (PI Ref 0012). Suspect later joined Global Justice and rose to Council position in 2016. Suspect subsequently became Head of Operations, but exhibited criminal misjudgment in alliance with Anton Harker (PI Ref 0002). Suspect relieved of position and taken into custody. Refer case POSSKA-17-001 for more information.

**Interrogation: **Suspect maintains that she was the victim of a conspiracy masterminded by former Global Justice operatives Kim Possible (PI Ref 0007) and Elizabeth Director (PI Ref 0008).

**Surveillance:** Subject is under 24/7 personal and electronic surveillance in a Global Justice holding facility.

**Recommendation:** Subject suffers from long-untreated PTSD and exhibits symptoms of paranoia. Recommend counseling sessions with Global Justice Psychological Treatment Specialists.

* * *

"I don't believe it. Betty lets us take our first real break in six months, and you want to spend it doing charity work on the island where we both nearly died a half dozen times." Shego shook her head.

"Since your only suggestion so far has been to go and heckle at the premiere of that stupid movie, yeah." Kim folded her arms and narrowed her eyes.

"Aw," The green woman mock-pouted. "Is Kimmie still mad that they cast the bitchy cheerleader to play her?"

The redhead gave her partner an exasperated look. How could it be that a person who so consistently needled her was also the only one whose arms felt like home? "I'm _mad_ that they're pushing the bullshit Global Justice version of what happened."

"Which is why we should go heckle!" Shego gave a triumphant smirk. Kim rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, because after enjoying six months of _not_ being on the run, I'd like to return to the life of a fugitive over causing a public disturbance."

"I don't think they'd call out the National Guard for us over that, Pumpkin." The older woman stepped forward and slipped her arms around the redhead's waist. Kim settled into her taller partner with a sigh. "But I get your point. Betty gave us this break because ..."

"Because we've done as much damage as we can to HenchCo through legal means, but Jack Hench is far from beaten." The former cheerleader nodded, then glanced up at Shego. "Which means sometime soon we're going to have to cross some lines, and this period of freedom Doctor Director bought us will be over. Are you ready to become a fugitive again?"

The pale woman shrugged. "I've spent most of my adult life that way. I'll be fine." She leaned down and brushed a gentle kiss on the crown of Kim's head. "That's what this trip is really about, isn't it, Princess? You want to remind yourself what we're fighting for, before we throw everything away and start _really_ fighting again."

Kim glanced up at her through slitted eyes. "You ... you're actually looking forward to it, aren't you?"

Shego grinned. "I won't pretend; it's been nice to be able to just walk down the street the last few months. But the missions ... it felt like we had one hand tied behind our back." She paused, and when she continued it was in a different voice. "We're goin' on the lam, shee? Which is where a lady like me oughtta be. Tommy gun in my right hand, a dame in my left. That'sh the life for me."

Scarlet brows quirked upward. "What the heck was that?"

"_That _..." The green woman said with great dignity. "Was my James Cagney."

"... you're a very strange person."

Dark lips smirked, and Kim immediately knew she'd walked into a quip of some kind. "I must be ... look at the woman I fell for."

"Brute." The redhead muttered, though she made no effort to break their embrace. "So ... are you okay with us going to Veligrua? I ... I'd really like to see what we accomplished there, and to catch up with Maria, Lucia and Sancho."

"We can go." Shego allowed. "On one condition."

"Which is?"

"We spend at least one day at the beach while we're there."

"Deal."

"Just remember what I told you about beaches, Pumpkin ..." The green woman waited for the redhead's questioning look, then smirked. "You have to bring your own eye-candy."

Kim smiled, then leaned up to kiss her lover. "_So_ not the drama."

* * *

**Author's Note: **As promised, a short epilogue just to bring down the curtain on this story. Kim and Shego have more struggles in their future, of course, but I don't expect to write fiction about them. The "Most Wanted" universe is not a setting where a completely clean ending can ever be reached, and I rather like the place they're in now.

Thanks for coming on this ride with me. Thanks in particular to those of you who came back to the tale even after I made you wait two years without an update. Your comments and feedback really do mean a lot to me.


End file.
